FOI release

FOI2020/00219: Ethnicity (Studentships)

This request was refused in full, so we didn't provide the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference FOI2020/00219

Published 15 July 2021

Request

Request Received: 24 July 2020

I am making this request under the freedom of information act to ask for the following information:

Can we get a detailed breakdown by ethnicity of all PHD funded studentships offered by the seven research councils you represent, for each of the following five academic years: a) 2014/2015 B) 2015/16 C) 2016/17 D) 2017/18 E)2018/19

When referring to a breakdown, this should include figures for each of the following categories:

White
• English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish / British
• Irish
• Gypsy or Irish Traveler
• Any other White background

Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups
• White and Black Caribbean
• White and Black African
• White and Asian
• Any other Mixed / Multiple ethnic background

Asian / Asian British
• Indian
• Pakistani
• Bangladeshi
• Chinese
• Any other Asian background

Black / African / Caribbean / Black British
• African
• Caribbean
• Any other Black / African / Caribbean background

Other ethnic group
• Arab
• Any other ethnic group

Response

Response Sent: 30 July 2020

The information you have requested is exempt from disclosure under Section 22(1) of the FOIA as it is intended for future publication. Section 22 is a qualified exemption meaning that it is subject to the public interest test.

UKRI understand that being transparent in regard to funded studentships is in the public interest. However, the data is still incomplete and we are of the view that releasing the information as it currently stands would be inaccurate, incomplete and misleading and thus not in the public interest.

We have therefore determined that the outcome of this test is that the public interest is insufficient to justify immediate disclosure. This information is likely to be available in the autumn when UKRI are planning to publish results by detailed ethnicity categories. The precise date of publication however is yet to be determined.

In lieu of this, the data currently available on this subject for the academic years requested can be found as part of UKRI's published diversity data that you were directed to in the response to your previous FOI request, reference FOI2020/00216. A copy of this is attached for your convenience.

Documents

• FOI_Response_Letter_FOI2020_00216_Redacted.pdf (153.6 KB)
• FOI_Response_Letter_FOI2020_00219_Redacted.pdf (121.0 KB)

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