QCA embraces the spirit of openness that the Freedom of Information Act generates. We provide the public with a great deal of information about our activities, which we publish on our website and in our online and print publications. Our publication scheme lists the types of information that we publish as part of the Act, as well as our internal workings.

More about the Freedom of Information Act

The Freedom of Information Act came into force in January 2005. It requires publicly funded organisations (not only government organisations but also schools, hospitals and local authorities, for example) to maintain a publication scheme and make this publicly available, put in place systems for effective records management and respond to requests from the public for information. The Act recognises the need to maintain government confidentiality in some circumstances and so it includes exemptions.

More about the Act can be found on the Information Commissioner's Office website.

Publication scheme

You can view our publication scheme here.

Data Protection Act

The Data Protection Act gives individuals the right to see information that an organisation holds about them. It also requires the organisation holding personal information to comply with a number of important principles. This legislation is not limited to government bodies, but also covers many commercial organisations.

You can find out more about data protection from the Information Commissioner's Office website.

For queries about data protection issues within QCA please email dataprotection@qca.org.uk

Requests for personal information should be made in writing to:

Data Protection Officer
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
83 Piccadilly
London W1J 8QA

Information Assets Register

This government initiative is coordinated by the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI). It lists the information held by various government bodies in one central register of information. At present, QCA does not contribute to the register but we are addressing the possibilities as part of our approach to freedom of information. More on the Information Assets Register can be found on the OPSI website.

How to request information

Before making a freedom of information request please check that the information is not already on our website or available on the QCA Orderline.

Please make your requests to us at:

Customer Relations
QCA
83 Piccadilly
London#W1J 8QA

email: info@qca.org.uk
telephone: 020 7509 5555
fax: 020 7509 6666

You can find details about how to request a copy of the publication scheme in QCA and freedom of information: the publication scheme

Complaints

If you have a complaint about how QCA has responded to your request for information, including refusals to supply all or part of the information or charges made, please write to:

The Records Manager
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
83 Piccadilly
London W1J 8QA

If you're not happy with the outcome of your complaint you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner by writing to:

The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

More about this can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.