Statutory guidance

Privacy notice: Civil Service People Survey user research participants

Updated 3 September 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/people-survey-privacy-information-notice/privacy-notice-civil-service-people-survey-user-research-participants

The Civil Service People Survey and all associated user research is managed by the Cabinet Office. This notice sets out how your data will be used as a user research participant, and your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

1. Data

Your participation is voluntary. With your informed consent, the Cabinet Office will collect and process the following personal data:

  • your name
  • your role, management responsibilities, profession and organisation
  • your contact information
  • your opinions
  • if required for the research your accessibility needs and associated impairments or disabilities

2. Purpose

The purpose for which the Cabinet Office is processing your personal data is to inform the design of the People Survey - including the question set, the survey platform, and the reporting tools - to ensure it aligns with a range of user needs and is fully accessible.

The legal basis for processing your data is consent and where applicable to health data explicit consent.

3. Recipients

All user research will be managed by the Cabinet Office’s central Analysis and Insight Directorate, with the support of their survey supplier (Qualtrics, Splitpin) The survey supplier will only host the individual level data and will not have standard access. The individual level data will only be seen by the Cabinet Office.

The user research results will be aggregated, and a summary shared with key stakeholders internal to the Civil Service, such as the Government Digital Service, for the purpose of demonstrating how the People Survey is being designed and improved to meet user needs, and evaluating how accessible it is.

You will not be personally identified in any summary produced.

4. Retention

Your data will be held by the Cabinet Office until 1 April 2026, unless you notify us in writing before this date that you no longer wish for us to hold this information.

Aggregate results from the user research do not count as personal data and will therefore be kept indefinitely, or until they are no longer considered useful.

5. Your rights

  • You have the right to request information about how your personal data are processed, and to request a copy of that personal data.
  • You have the right to request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay.
  • You have the right to request that any incomplete personal data are completed, including by means of a supplementary statement.
  • You have the right to request that your personal data are erased if there is no longer a justification for them to be processed.
  • You have the right in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested) to request that the processing of your personal data is restricted.
  • You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
  • You have the right to 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.

6. International transfers

As your personal data will be stored on Cabinet Office IT infrastructure it may be transferred and stored securely outside the UK. On occasion the survey supplier (Qualtrics LLP) may store your data on their platform based in Frankfurt, Germany. Where either of these are the case, it will be subject to equivalent legal protection through the use of Model Contract Clauses.

7. Complaints

If you consider your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator ([email protected]). Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts.

8. Contact details

Cabinet Office is the data controller for your data ([email protected]).The Cabinet Office’s Data Protection Officer is Stephen Jones ([email protected]). The Data Protection Officer provides independent advice and monitoring of Cabinet Office’s use of personal information.

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