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IRS
Privacy Policy
The
information below is also available at the bottom of the page as a Adobe PDF
document.
How the Independent Review Service (IRS) Collects Information in
Connection with the Inspector's Review and How this Information is
used
If JobCentre Plus has given you
a decision and a review of your application for a Social Fund grant or loan you
can then ask the IRS for an Inspector's review.
When you ask us for an
Inspector's review we will contact JobCentre Plus and ask them to send your
Social Fund papers to us. In most cases, once we have the papers we will write
to you explaining the issues in your case. If we need to know more about you so
we can make the right decision we will ask you some questions. We may also need
to ask JobCentre Plus for more information about your case. Once we have the
information we need we will make a decision.
We will not talk
to other people about your case or your personal details, unless you have
agreed to this. Exceptionally, we may need to do this without your agreement,
for example, if it is necessary to prevent crime. But we will not talk to other
people about your case unless the law allows us to do this.
The main reason
we collect information is so that the Inspector can make the right decision on
your case. But we may also need to use it for other purposes. The information
may be used so that we can monitor the quality of Inspector's decisions,
correct mistakes, and so that we can give our staff advice and training. It may
be used to help us handle complaints, or if we need to take legal advice or
defend legal proceedings. Your information may be used for research and
statistical purposes. It may be used for giving feedback about the performance
of JobCentre Plus and for associated training, and for giving feedback about
problems with the Social Fund scheme. Sometimes we will look at your
information if you ask for a review on another case, but we will let you know
if we have used information from an earlier review.
When we have
finished with your case papers we return these to JobCentre Plus. This will
include any new information you have given us, unless there are exceptional
reasons for us to withhold this information.
How we Protect Your Information
The IRS gives a very high priority to keeping your
personal information safe and secure. Your papers are kept on our secure
premises at all times, until they are returned to JobCentre plus using a secure
courier service. We review and upgrade our computer systems to ensure they
remain secure. We train our staff and have put processes and procedures in
place to keep your information safe. We make sure our staff use your
information for IRS business purposes only, and that it is only given to the
right people. For some of our purposes we anonymise your data to provide extra
security and confidentiality.
If we have to use
contractors, for example, in the development of our computer systems, we ensure
that they maintain our high security standards.
The Data Protection Act 1998 and
Your Right to Access Your Information
The Data Protection Act sets rules for how organisations must treat
your personal information. For the purposes of the Act the IRS is the Data
Controller responsible for your personal information.
Under the Act
you also have a right to ask us what information we hold about you and how we
use it. You can also ask for a copy of the information we hold.
If you would like to ask us for information you will need to do the
following:
1. Write to us at "Independent Review Service,
FREEPOST".
2. Sign your letter and give us your name, address, date
of birth, national insurance number and if possible your IRS reference
number(s) - these will help us to confirm your identity and to find your
information.
3. Say exactly what information you would like us to
send you.
If we need more information we will contact you about this. We will
respond to your request promptly, and within 40 days of us having all the
information we need to deal with your request.
Normally you will be able to
see all your information. Sometimes an exemption may mean we won't be able to
send all of your information. For example, some health information cannot be
disclosed if it would be likely to cause you serious harm. Some information
cannot be disclosed if it would hamper a fraud investigation.
If you have made
a similar request recently we may not need to provide you with information
under the Act.
If you want to complain about the way we are handling
your information please write to us about this. If, after our response, you are
still not happy you can write to the Information Commissioner at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
IRS Privacy
Policy
IRSPrivacyPolicy.pdf
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