Personal information charter

This privacy notice sets out how the Government Social Research Recruitment Campaign will use your personal data, and your rights under Articles 13 and, or 14 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The Government Social Research (GSR) is part of HM Treasury, which makes HM Treasury the data controller for personal data processed by GSR.

1. Data Subjects

The personal data being processed relates to applicants who apply for a GES or GSR recruitment campaign.

2. Personal Data

This will include the following personal data relating to the data subjects:

  • Personal data you provide to us in your application form including name, title, address, telephone number, and personal email address, employment history, qualifications.
  • Your date of birth, gender and ethnicity.
  • Personal data you provide during interview – proof of ID (e.g. passport, driving licence, utility bill as proof of address).
  • Recruitment information (including copies of right to work documentation, references and other information included in the application form or email as part of the application process).
  • Evidence of your right to work in the UK/immigration status.

3. Purpose

The personal data is processed for the purpose of a recruitment to fill a vacancy within the Government Economic Service (GES) or Government Social Research Service (GSR). This will enable GESR to process relevant functions relating to your recruitment.

The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract of a recruitment campaign.  

5. Recipients

Your personal data will be shared by us with:

Account data:

  • our technical suppliers and their approved staff
  • our technical supplier’s hosting provider
  • profiles may be shared with departments who have vacancies available for priority movers

Once you have made an application, your information may be shared with:

  • the video interviewing platform, if you have been invited to complete a pre-recorded interview
  • approved staff managing vacancies (including recruiters and interview panel members)
  • Government Recruitment Service (GRS - managing recruitment on behalf of some recruiting departments)
  • the recruiting departments or profession
  • our technical supplier and their hosting provider
  • Peregrine - to undertake recruitment on behalf of GRS during periods of high demand
  • Government Resources Insight Database (GRID)
  • Customer relationship management system
  • Email survey tools
  • Providers of individual leadership assessments, psychometric tests and staff engagement exercises
  • Civil Service Commission, Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments - to ensure that recruitment processes are correctly followed
  • The GOV.UK Notify service for sending email and text messages
  • the integration platform provider for the Civil Service

If you meet the required standard but the recruiting department is unable to offer you the job, you may be given the option of being added to a reserve list. Reserve lists may be shared with other Civil Service departments and professions who are recruiting for similar roles.

For senior civil service roles, your data may be held by the Civil Service HR team within the Cabinet Office to provide a list of potential candidates to be considered for similar future roles.

If you undergo pre-employment checks prior to appointment, your data may be shared with:

  • Government Recruitment Service
  • Customer relationship management system
  • Peregrine and Verifile - to undertake recruitment on behalf of GRS during periods of high demand
  • our digital identity checks supplier and their supply chain - for identity verification
  • Disclosure and Barring Service
  • CJSM, the secure mail platform of DBS
  • AccessNI criminal record checks
  • Disclosure Scotland criminal record checks
  • occupational health providers
  • APS Group Translation Services
  • Civil Service Pensions
  • the recruiting department
  • the recruiting department’s shared service provider (if a third party supplier is used)
  • the UK Security Vetting team, as well as the Security Cluster department for the relevant employer (which will be either HMRC, DWP, Home Office, MoD, or the FCO)

If you request support with your application or for a technical issue:

  • approved staff from Cabinet Office
  • approved staff from our technical suppliers
  • customer relationship management system
  • project management tools
  • technical suppliers of online tests

If you participate in user research interviews, these are recorded to allow later transcription and analysis. Recordings may be viewed later by relevant Cabinet Office staff who are unable to attend the session at the original time.

As your personal data will be stored on our IT infrastructure it will also be shared with our data processors who provide email and document management and storage services to us.

6. Retention

For successful candidates your personal data will be kept for 5 years after the completion of recruitment process. For unsuccessful candidates, your personal data will be kept for 12 months after completion of the recruitment process. For each organisation listed above, GESR as the controller will only disclose the personal data necessary to deliver that service.

7. Special category data

We will also collect, store and use the following ‘special categories’ of more sensitive personal information:

  • Information about your race or ethnicity,
  • Sex/Gender.

When we need to carry out our legal obligations or exercise our employment related legal rights; equal opportunities monitoring;

processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract;

9. Data Protection rights

Data protection rights relevant to this processing activity include:

  • the right to request information about how your personal data are processed, and to request a copy of that personal data.

  • the right to request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay.
  • the right to request that your personal data are erased if there is no longer a justification for them to be processed. (Request to delete individual responses will be considered on a case-by-case basis)
  • the right, in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested) to request that the processing of your personal data is restricted.
  • the right to object to the processing of your personal data where it is processed for direct marketing purposes.

A full list of your data protection rights appear on the ICO website at https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/individual-rights/individual-rights/

10. Contact us

For any enquiries about how we process personal data, please contact us at: gesr.enquiries@hmtreasury.gov.uk 

11. Making a data subject access request (DSAR)

To request access to your personal data, please email: dsar@hmtreasury.gov.uk

12. Complaints

If you are concerned that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, please email Treasury’s Data Protection Officer in the first instance at Privacy@hmtreasury.gov.uk.

If you remain unsatisfied about our use of your personal data, you have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office at: casework@ico.org.uk

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