Aren't degree lists published?
If refused, this begs the question of how a claimed qualification can be verified.
Is the issue here than a journalist is making the request? Would a request from a prospective employer be refused?
I can think of several situations in which there is arguably a "public interest" in having a claimed qualification validated by the issuer.
If a claim to a qualification is made to achieve a particular salary, that may be fraud by misrepresentation contrary to s.2 Fraud Act 2006; but is an employer then expected to involve the police (and an s.29 request) or make an s.35 request?
Michael
PhD, DPhil, MA, BSc, BA (Bombay, failed) 😉
> On 27 Jun 2017, at 09:03, Ciaran Ward <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> I think you're right to refuse here, Jeanette. There doesn’t seem to a legitimate exemption or public interest argument in this case.
>
> It would however depend on the type of qualification and the nature of this individual's trade. To take an extreme example, if he worked as a doctor in private practice, but didn’t have a medical qualification there would be a strong public interest as he could be potentially putting patients' lives at risk.
>
> I assume your scenario is not quite as crucial though!
>
>
> Ciaran Ward
> Information Rights Officer
> Guildford Borough Council
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jeanette Harrison
> Sent: 27 June 2017 08:26
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [data-protection] Qualifications
>
> I would be grateful for advice as soon as possible please regarding whether a University should, if asked by anybody, be prepared to confirm whether an alleged former student has a particular qualification. If somebody has published information on their website claiming that they have a particular qualification from an institution does that make a difference?
>
> The background briefly is that we have been approached by an individual claiming to be a freelance journalist asking us to confirm whether or not an alleged former student has a qualification from the University. At present I do not feel we can disclose the information.
>
> Many thanks for any advice you can give.
>
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