Publication scheme
This publication scheme specifies the categories of information that the department and its agencies regularly publish and explains how to get that information.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is committed to making transparency and accountability to the public a fundamental principle of how we operate.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act) requires public authorities to adopt and maintain a publication scheme, the purpose of which is to:
- Specify the classes of information we have committed to publish
- Say how we will make that information available
- Say whether the information is available free of charge or on payment
Our publication scheme follows the Information Commissioner’s model publication scheme for public authorities and covers the following executive agencies:
- Building Digital UK
- Intellectual Property Office
- Met Office
- UK Space Agency
Contacting the FOI Team
If you can’t find what you want through this scheme, you may wish to make a request under the FOI Act .
Charges
There is no charge for information which is provided electronically. If you ask for information in paper format it may be necessary to make a charge. Each case is considered separately. For example, if a large amount of photocopying is required, or if the cost of postage of a large volume of paperwork is very high.
About this publication scheme
Most of the information included in our scheme will be current. However, for certain classes of information, it may be necessary to publish the information retrospectively.
Information will not be available through the publication scheme indefinitely. We are committed to providing the public with as much information as is practically possible. It is important that the information we provide is relevant and up to date.
Publications can be found using the publication search function. If you need information in an alternative format, we will do all we reasonably can to help.
Where the information is published elsewhere you will find the required link in the list below. Available information is grouped under ‘classes of information’.
This publication scheme is not a list of individual publications but rather a description of the classes or types of information that we are committed to publishing.
The scheme is not an exhaustive list of all the types of information that we publish – our policy is to publish proactively as much information as we can where the information would have a wider public interest.
The scheme does not include information that we consider to be sensitive, such as certain types of commercial or personal information, or information about security matters or which comprises legal advice.
Classes of information
Who we are and what we do
This information covers our organisational details, structures, locations and contacts. This includes:
- Departmental location, contact details and members of our leadership team
- Our responsibilities and priorities
- Areas of Research Interest
- Workforce Management Information
- Public bodies
- Legislation relevant to our function
- Business appointment rules advice
- Answers to Parliamentary questions
- Gender pay gap information
- Grading structure and payroll costs with non-consolidated pay data
- Permanent Secretary meetings with external organisations
- Speeches
What we spend and how we spend it
This is where we publish financial information about projected and actual income, expenditure, procurement, contracts and financial audits. This includes:
- spending for transactions over £25,000
- government procurement card spend over £500
- Commercial pipeline
- Spend control data
- Ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings
- Special advisers’ gifts, hospitality and meetings
- Senior officials’ business expenses, hospitality and meetings
- Trade union facility time data
- Procurement policy
- Annual report and accounts
- Ministerial expenditure
- Prompt payment data
- Spending reviews
- Capital programme
- Procurement procedures
- Special advisers
What our priorities are and how we are doing
This information covers departmental strategies and plans, performance indicators, audits, inspections and reviews, including:
- Statistics
- Performance report
- Statistical public engagement and data standards
- Official statistics work update
- Government Major Projects Portfolio
- Performance reports to Parliament
- Inspection reports
- Service standards
- Data protection impact assessments
- Public service agreements
How we make decisions
This is where we publish details of our decision-making processes and records of our decisions. These include:
- Policy proposals and consultations
- Research
- Minutes and reports of senior level meetings
- Internal communications guidance
- White papers
Policies and procedures
This information covers our protocols, policies and procedures for providing services, and responsibilities, including:
- Services
- Civil Service code
- Working for DSIT
- Complaints procedure
- Ministerial conduct and guidance
- Special advisers conduct and guidance
- Records management, personal data and information access policies
- Pay policy
- File plans
- Charging regimes and policies
Lists and registers
This is where we publish details of the department’s public registers, asset registers and disclosure logs, including:
- Accessible documents policy
- Transparency and freedom of information releases
- Personal information charter
- Freedom of Information (FOI) statistics
The Cabinet Office has responsibility for FOI policy in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and publishes information on the handling of requests. Accredited official statistics independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) can be explored here
- The register of gifts for ministers, SCS and special advisers
- CCTV surveillance cameras