Transparency data

Privacy notice for HMCTS user surveys

Published 29 October 2021

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

This privacy notice sets out the standards that you can expect from HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) when you provide personal information (‘personal data’) about you through our user surveys; how you can get access to a copy of your personal data; and what you can do if you think the standards are not being met.

HMCTS is an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). MoJ is the data controller for the personal information we hold. We collect and process personal data for the exercise of our own and associated public functions. These include: the administration of justice, criminal and civil enforcement, research for the development of justice policies.

1. About personal information

Personal data is information about you as an individual. It can be your name, address or telephone number. It can also include sensitive information about your physical and mental wellbeing, spent and unspent criminal details, racial and ethnic origin, sexual and religious beliefs, along with any information you provide to us through free text comments in our user surveys.

We know how important it is to protect customers’ privacy and to comply with data protection laws. We will safeguard your personal data and will only disclose it where it is lawful to do so, or with your consent.

2. Types of personal data we process

Not all user surveys collect information that is personal or sensitive in nature. We only ask for this information if it enables us to measure how we are meeting the needs of our users, or if it can help us identify how to improve the user experience. These surveys are anonymous as we have no way of linking the response to an individual. However, if you choose to provide information that links the response to an individual or leave free-text responses revealing personal data, such as email addresses or case numbers then anonymity will be compromised.

3. Purpose of processing and the lawful basis for the process

We work to protect the public and reduce re-offending; provide a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal, civil and family justice system for victims and the public; and to reform the criminal, civil, family and tribunal justice system.

We collect personal data directly from you to measure how we are meeting the needs of our users and to help us identify how to improve the user experience.

4. Who your information may be shared with

Your full survey response will only be shared internally within HMCTS, however we may include your free-text comments in materials shared with external audiences. This could include other ministerial departments, public organisations or organisations interested in the justice system. This could include, but is not limited to; the Crown Prosecution service, HMCTS Delivery Partners, Citizens Advice and Local Authorities.

5. Details of transfers to third country and safeguards

It may sometimes be necessary to transfer personal information overseas. When this is needed information may be transferred to countries within and/or outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). Any transfers made will be in full compliance with all aspects of the data protection law.

6. Retention period for information collected

Any personal information you include in your survey response (for example if you provide your contact details to take part in future research) will be deleted after 13 months. If you wish for your information to be deleted from our records sooner, please contact us at the address in the section below.

7. Access to personal information

You can find out if we hold any personal data about you by making a ‘subject access request’. If you wish to make a subject access request please contact:

Disclosure Team
Post point 10.38
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
Email data.access@justice.gov.uk

8. When we ask you for personal data

We promise to inform you why we need your personal data and ask only for the personal data we need and not collect information that is irrelevant or excessive:

• you can withdraw consent at any time, where relevant
• you can lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority
• we will protect it and make sure no unauthorised person has access to it
• only where appropriate and necessary will we share it with other organisations for legitimate purposes; or where required or permitted by law
• we will make sure we don’t keep it longer than is necessary
• we will not make your personal data available for commercial use without your consent
• we will consider your request to correct, stop processing or erase your personal data

8.1 You can get more details on:

• agreements we have with other organisations for sharing information
• circumstances where we can pass on personal information without telling you, for example, to help with the prevention or detection of crime or to produce anonymised statistics
• our instructions to staff on how to collect, use or delete your personal information
• how we check that the information we hold is accurate and up-to-date
• how to make a complaint

For more information about the above issues, please contact the MoJ data protection officer at:

Post point 10.38
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
Email privacy@justice.gov.uk

For more information on how and why your information is processed please see the information provided when you accessed our services or were contacted by us.

9. Complaints

When we ask you for information, we will keep to the law. If you consider that your information has been handled incorrectly, you can contact the Information Commissioner for independent advice about data protection. You can contact the Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113

ICO website