Policy paper

Communities for Afghans (beneficiaries): privacy notice

Updated 31 October 2024

The purpose of this privacy notice is to explain how your personal data will be processed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for the purposes of delivering the Communities for Afghans project. As MHCLG and the Home Office have distinctive statutory responsibilities and accountabilities, we publish separate privacy notices to explain how your personal data is used for their respective purposes.

Your personal data may also be processed by Local Authorities and Sponsor Groups in connection with the delivery of the Communities for Afghans project.

1. The identity and contact details of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and our Data Protection Officer:

MHCLG and The Home Office will act as data controllers for their respective responsibilities for delivering the scheme.

Contact MHCLG at: dataprotection@communities.gov.uk or by writing to the following address:

Data Protection Officer

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

2 Marsham Street

London

SW1P 4DF

Contact Home Office at:  DPO@homeoffice.gov.uk, or by writing to the following address:

Data Protection Officer

Home Office

2 Marsham Street

London,

SW1P 4DF

2. What personal data we are collecting and why?

We will collect and use the following personal data: Full name, Date of Birth, Gender, Country of Birth, Country of Residence, Nationality, Passport Number, Contact Details, Medical Information, Caring Responsibilities, and Accommodation Needs.

This data is being collected to ensure that accommodation arrangements through the Communities for Afghans project are suitable and that appropriate support is in place for households to settle and integrate into communities.

3. How will we process your personal data?

MHCLG will use your personal data to ensure that accommodation matches made by the Home Office are suitable, to contact you if appropriate, to facilitate travel to settled accommodation, to ensure that the right support is available if you move into a sponsorship arrangement, and to ensure the proper distribution of relevant public funding.

4. What is the lawful basis for processing the data?

Data Protection Legislation sets out when we are lawfully allowed to process your data. The lawful basis that applies to this processing is that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.

In order to process special categories of personal data, we must apply a second lawful basis [Article 9 of the UK GDPR]. The second lawful basis that applies here is that processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, as outlined in the Data Protection: Act (2018):

Part 2, schedule 1, Substantial Public Interest Conditions: 

Section 6 - Statutory etc. and government purposes

(2) (b) the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown or a government department.  

5. What are the sources of my personal data?

Personal data that MHCLG process about you is received from the Home Office and local authorities.

6. Who will we share the data with?

MHCLG may share your personal data with organisations who are supporting the resettlement scheme:

• Citizens UK act as a processor to MHCLG. This means they are acting on behalf of MHCLG when processing personal data and will only do so under MHCLG instructions. An appropriate data processing agreement will be in place for this
• Local authorities are independent data controllers. We will share data with LAs relating to safeguarding checks
• Sponsor groups are independent data controllers. Data will be shared with sponsor groups to support successful resettlement following a property offer.
• Other government departments: Aggregated figures to describe the progress of the scheme may be shared with other government departments for reporting purposes.

This list will be updated where necessary. MHCLG will use other data processors involved in the delivery of IT services.

7. For how long will we keep the personal data, or criteria used to determine the retention period?

Your personal data will be held for two years after the programme has closed.

8. What are your rights?

The data we are collecting is your personal data, and you have the right to:

a. know that we are using your personal data

b. see what data we have about you

c. ask to have your data corrected, and to ask how we check the information we hold is accurate

d. object to the processing of your data

e. complain to the ICO (see below)

9. Sending data overseas

Your personal data will not be sent overseas.

10. Automated decision making

We will not use your data for any automated decision making.

11. How will we store and manage data securely?

Your data will be stored and transferred securely with controls in place to limit the number of people who can access the data.

12. Complaints and more information

If you are unhappy with the way the department has acted, you can make a complaint.

If you are not happy with how we are using your personal data, you should first contact dataprotection@communities.gov.uk.

If you are still not happy, or for independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing, you can contact:

The Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow, Cheshire,

SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545 745
https://ico.org.uk/