Guidance

Civil Service Employee Transfer Service - Privacy Notice

Published 26 October 2023

© Crown copyright 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-employee-transfer-service-privacy-notice/civil-service-employee-transfer-service-privacy-notice

Purpose

The purposes for which we are processing your personal data are:

  • to transfer your personal and HR related data to your new department. This enables them to create your HR and payroll record that accurately reflects that you are an existing civil servant
  • to provide you with updates on the status of your transfer
  • to provide technical support to you, your managers and HR teams within department
  • to develop and improve our service, for example, through your feedback

Your data

We will process the following personal data:

When you complete Stage 1 of the transfer process:

  • name
  • email address
  • date of birth
  • marital status
  • nationality
  • your employer
  • phone number
  • national insurance number
  • line manager name and email address
  • two most recent consecutive payslips
  • your current grade
  • your employment contract type
  • current employee number
  • current National Security Vetting clearance (if any)
  • current workplace adjustment passport (if any)

If you undergo National Security Vetting (NSV), including the transfer of any NSV, we may ask for:

  • town or city of birth
  • country of birth

When you complete Stage 3 of the transfer process:

  • bank details for payroll, including bank name, account number and sort code (if required - depending on department transferring into)
  • current student loan details (if any)
  • new job details, including agreed salary, new grade and new working pattern

When your line manage completes Stage 4:

  • end date of loan (if transferring on loan)
  • whether you have passed your probationary period within the Civil Service
  • details of any live disciplinary warnings for misconduct

When your exporting HR department completes Stage 5:

  • your start date in the Civil Service
  • your absence history, including start and end dates and reason for absence. This includes any current parental leave
  • details about your current pay, including pay zone, allowances and deductions and outstanding pay award
  • your terms and conditions of employment
  • your pension details including any additional voluntary contributions and added years/added pension contributions

When you contact us with feedback or an enquiry we may ask for:

  • email address
  • department
  • grade
  • CSJobs reference or Transfer reference

The legal basis for processing your personal data is:

  • processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller. In this case the Civil Service Employee Transfer Service facilitates the transfer of employees across government departments, arm’s length bodies (ALBs) and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) employing civil servants.
  • it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject (you) are a party. In this case that is employee details collected for HR and payroll activities. A new or revised employment contract is issued as a result of a transfer between departments.
  • it is necessary in order to take steps at the data subject’s request prior to entering into a contract. This relates to information that we collect to enable the transfer, including commencing pre-employment checks and National Security Vetting where required.

Sensitive personal data is personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation.

The legal basis for processing your sensitive personal data relating to data concerning health is:

  • it is necessary for the purposes of performing or exercising our obligations or rights as the controller, or your obligations or rights, under employment law, social security law or the law relating to social protection.

Any processing of data relating to health complies with data protection principles. Further information is available in the Cabinet Office policy paper - Special category and criminal conviction personal data.

Recipients

Your personal data will be shared by us with:

Account data:

  • our technical supplier and their approved staff
  • our technical supplier’s hosting provider

Once you have submitted your transfer form, your information may be shared with:

  • approved staff managing your transfer in the department you are leaving, including your line manager, HR teams and Shared Service Provider (if a third party supplier is used by your current department). These individuals will already have access to this information via your existing HR records
  • approved staff managing your transfer in the department you are transferring to, including your new manager or vacancy holder, HR teams and Shared Service Provider (if a third party supplier is used by your new department) and your recruiter (if different from your new line manager)
  • Government Recruitment Service (GRS) - managing recruitment on behalf of some recruiting departments
  • approved staff from our technical supplier and their hosting provider
  • Civil Service Pensions

If you undergo pre-employment checks or National Security Vetting (NSV), including the transfer of existing NSV, prior to appointment, your data may be shared with:

  • Government Recruitment Service
  • Capita and Verifile - to undertake recruitment on behalf of GRS during periods of high demand
  • Capita Security Watchdog
  • Disclosure and Barring Service
  • AccessNI criminal record checks
  • Disclosure Scotland criminal record checks
  • Occupational health providers
  • APS Group Translation Services
  • the UK Security Vetting team, as well as the Security team or Security Cluster for the relevant employer

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

  • approved staff from Cabinet Office
  • approved staff from our technical supplier

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

Retention

Your personal data will be retained by us for 2 years. After this time, personal data will be deleted or anonymised. This is to:

  • enable departments to use the data to successfully create HR and payroll records
  • enable departments to respond to complaints or issues following a transfer
  • allow for auditing by departments and the Civil Service Commission, Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments - to ensure that recruitment processes are correctly followed

Your personal data will be shared by us with our technical supplier, who will retain your data for the duration of our contract with them or according to the timescales provided above, whichever is sooner.

Automated decision making

Your personal data will not be subject to automated decision making.

Your rights

You have the right to:

  • request information about how your personal data is processed, and to request a copy of that personal data
  • request a copy of any personal data you have provided, and for this to be provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format
  • request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay
  • request that any incomplete personal data are completed, including by means of a supplementary statement
  • request that your personal data is erased if there is no longer a justification for it to be processed
  • in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested) to request that the processing of your personal data is restricted
  • object to the processing of your personal data

International transfer of data

As your personal data is stored on our IT infrastructure, and shared with our data processors who provide email, and document management and storage services, it may be transferred and stored securely outside the European Economic Area. Where that is the case it will be subject to equivalent legal protection through the use of model contract clauses or UK International Data Transfer Agreements.

Contact details

Cabinet Office is the data controller for your account details, and for any applications you have not yet submitted.

Cabinet Office and your current and future departments are joint data controllers for your personal data supporting your transfer.

The contact details for Cabinet Office’s Data Protection Officer (DPO), are:

DPO
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS

dpo@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

This email should not be used for general transfer queries. These should be directed to your exporting or importing line managers.

Complaints

If you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

0303 123 1113

casework@ico.org.uk

Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts.

Updates to this notice

If this privacy notice changes in any way, we will place an updated version on this page. Regularly reviewing this page ensures you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we will share it with other parties.

Last updated: June 2023

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