Dear All

Here at Dundee we issue electronic files to the 4 local councils in our
area, these state the Name, Given Address and start and expected end
dates.

I was informed that because of the Tax Collection stipulation within
the Data Protection Act 1998, we are able to produce these.  It
certainly cuts down on paper work etc.  We also seek the student's
permission on their Matriculation Schedules to release this information.
 Most say YES, and we only release those who do.

Regards

Norma

.     29. - (1) Personal data processed for any of the following
purposes-

  (a) the prevention or detection of crime,
  (b) the apprehension or prosecution of offenders, or
  (c) the assessment or collection of any tax or duty or of any
imposition of a similar nature,
  are exempt from the first data protection principle (except to the
extent to which it requires compliance with the conditions in
Schedules
2 and 3) and section 7 in any case to the extent to which the
application of those provisions to the data would be likely to
prejudice
any of the matters mentioned in this subsection


Norma Stewart
Student Records Officer
Registry
University of Dundee
Tel 01382 345392
Fax 01382 345343

>>> [log in to unmask] 10/12/2004 14:06:29 >>>
Dear Colleagues

We have been experiencing a problem with some local authorities
recently.

When we issue a certificate of attendance to a student to claim a
reduction in council
tax, a number of those certificates are being returned to us as
unnacceptable by some
authorities.

They insist on some really odd requirements or they will not accept the
certificate.

For example, we have recently had one returned by Southwark which
indicates that we
must display the College's charity registration number and that we must
indicate
specifically how many hours a student studies.  We have only ever
stated that a
programme is full-time or part-time; full-time is assumed to be 40
hours per week.
However, Southwark have indicated that simply stating full-time on a
certificate no
longer satisfies their requirements.

I have spoken to the local authority to try to communicate to them that
some of what
they require cannot really be certified, but it seems to fall on deaf
ears.

Has anyone else been experiencing this problem?  Have you amended your
certificate
templates as a result of local authorities' requirements?  If so, what
amendments have
you made?

Many thanks

Andy
____________________________
Andy Robinson BSc PhD
Senior Assistant Registrar
Student Administration Office
Queen Mary, University of London
Mile End Road
E1 4NS
Phone: 020-7882 5549
Fax: 020-7882 7810
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

Dawn Tindal
Student Records Officer
Registry
University of Dundee
1 Airlie Place
DUNDEE   DD1 4HN

Tel:  01382 348231
Fax: 01382 345343