Access to Information
Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) Requests
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) requires that all housing associations and co-operatives in Scotland must produce and maintain a publications scheme. This must detail all of the key information that we publish and how you can access it.
The Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIR) also allows access to environmental information held by Bield.
We have adopted the Scottish Information Commissioner's (SIC) Model Publication Scheme (MPS) and our 'Guide to Information' has been approved by the SIC. Further information can be found in our Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Policy.
Information included in our MPS can be freely downloaded from our website. If you are unable to download/access any documents on our website, you can contact us or visit our office to access this information.
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests must be in a permanent format, for example in writing or by recording. You can also submit an EIR request verbally. It is preferred that any request is made in writing. You can submit your request:
- in writing to Freedom of Information/Environmental Information Request, Bield Housing & Care, 79 Hopetoun Street, Edinburgh, EH7 4QF
- via email to accesstoinfo@bield.co.uk
Any Freedom of Information or Environmental Information Request you submit should include your full name, your contact details (telephone, email and/or correspondence address), details of anyone authorised to act on your behalf (if applicable) and should clearly describe the information you are looking for. You can find detailed guidance on how to make a valid request here.
We must to respond to FOI/EIR requests within 20 working days from when we receive it (subject to time required for clarifications and payments of any charges). Although we may extend the response time for your EIR request by up to 20 days in certain circumstances. There may be charges for some complex requests – these are outlined in our Guide to Information.
Subject Access Request (General Data Protection Regulation)
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) you can request what personal information we hold about you and request a copy of the personal data. All customers have the right to access their information, request any changes and to have their data deleted in line with the Regulation.
You can do this by submitting a Subject Access Request (SAR). You can ask us to:
- provide a copy of the information held by us in our records
- correct any inaccuracies in the information held
- delete any personal data which we hold
- stop any marketing communications from us
After receiving your request, we should respond to you within a month. Your data rights and SAR requests are covered in greater detail by the ICO (Information Commissioners Office).