Dundee and Angus College has refused to reveal how many people were interviewed for the role of Tayside period dignity officer despite concerns over the recruitment process.
The organisation has been embroiled in controversy after being involved in choosing a man for the post — Jason Grant.
His appointment sparked outrage, with critics — including tennis legend Martina Navratilova — adamant the job should have been given to a woman.
Freedom of information request
The Courier asked a series of questions under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation in an attempt to provide further details about recruitment for the taxpayer-funded post.
But the college snubbed the chance to address key issues, including the number of people who applied and how many candidates were interviewed.
They also refused to give a breakdown of the gender of applicants or those interviewed.
In its response, officials said: “We consider that the information you have requested is… due to the low number of applicants involved, is exempt from disclosure under Section 38 (1) (b) of FOISA (Freedom of Information Scotland Act).
“This is because it is likely that individuals may be identifiable from the information you have requested and the disclosure of this information would therefore contravene the Data Protection Act (2018) and the UK GDPR.”
We then asked Dundee and Angus College to explain how answering these questions could be a GDPR breach but there was no response.
The college has also faced allegations Mr Grant was given preferential treatment during the recruitment process.
And for the first time, in an answer to our FOI question, the college revealed staff member Katie Baxter – one fourth of the Period Dignity Working Group which made the appointment – had hired Mr Grant for three previous roles.
Mr Grant has since left his post after the college axed the new role, citing “threats and abuse levelled at individuals”.
However the Dundonian has decided to take legal action, claiming he was mistreated, with his lawyer claiming his client only found out his job had been binned in the press.
Employment law specialist Ryan Russell, of MML Legal, is representing Mr Grant and he claims the ex-college employee has been hung out to dry by the working group.
He said: “Let it be known that my client was removed from his role and did not leave.
“A very public landmark appointment was to be the beginning of an exciting new chapter for all concerned. The reality has been poster boy to fall guy in a matter of weeks.”
Dundee and Angus College says it has no further comment to make.
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