The Senedd Commission is the data controller of the information you provide, and will ensure it is protected and used in line with data protection legislation.
Any queries regarding our use of your information should be sent to the Data Protection Officer at:
0300 200 6565
What information are we collecting?
The Senedd makes efforts to engage the people of Wales and beyond in its work. This includes engagement with the research community, to improve the breadth, depth and diversity of the research evidence and expertise available to the Senedd, as described by the knowledge exchange strategy.
One of the methods the Senedd uses to engage with the research community is Areas of Research Interest (ARIs). ARIs are lists of policy issues or questions created by Senedd committees to express interest in seeing more research evidence and engaging with experts in certain topics.
Senedd committees identify their ARIs based on their current and future research needs. The research community is then invited to submit evidence and expertise into a ‘repository’ on each topic, collected through a Microsoft Form.
The data collected by the Senedd’s ARIs includes: names, email addresses, phone numbers, institutions, information on areas of expertise, links to or summaries of publicly available research relevant to the topic, ideas for scrutiny questions, information about previous engagement with the Senedd, and diversity monitoring data.
Why are we collecting it?
We are collecting this data to identify research expertise and evidence to support the work of Senedd committees. Specifically, the data collected by the ARIs will be used to help committees:
- identify witnesses and experts for committee activities;
- map existing evidence on the current under consideration and highlight gaps, and
- build new networks of stakeholders in the research community.
Who will have access to the information?
The data will be accessed by Senedd officials and Members of Senedd committees relevant to the ARI in question. The data will not be shared beyond this, or published.
Where will the information be stored?
The data will be stored in the Senedd commission cloud infrastructure, which includes Microsoft Forms.
How long will the information be retained?
The data will be retained for the period of the Sixth Senedd after which point it will be deleted, unless otherwise specified by the ARI.
Our legal bases for collecting, holding and using your personal information
Data protection law sets out various legal bases which allow us to collect, hold and use your personal information. For the purpose of processing the personal data you provide, we rely on the following legal bases:
The processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. The task is to facilitate the work of parliamentary committees to undertake their democratic function of scrutinising the Welsh Government and representing the people of Wales, and ensure that committees can carry out their functions.
Special category personal data
We may process special category personal data if you choose to provide any as part of the voluntary diversity monitoring questions. Special category personal data is defined as including data revealing racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation and data about health. Special category data will be processed on the basis that it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest (as provided for by Article 9(2)(g) of the UK GDPR, read in conjunction with paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act 2018).
Your rights
As a data subject, you have a number of rights. The rights which apply depend on the legal bases we are relying on to use your personal information. Those rights will not apply in all instances, and the Commission will confirm whether or not that is the case when you make a request.
The rights include the right to request access to your own personal information, sometimes called a ‘subject access request’.
Additionally, you have the right to request from us:
- that any inaccurate information we hold about you is corrected (please note that you are required to keep us up to date with any changes to your personal information);
- that information about you is deleted (in certain circumstances);
- that we stop using your personal information for certain purposes or in certain circumstances; and
- that your information is provided to you or a third party in a portable format (again, in certain circumstances).
If you would like to engage any of the rights that you have under data protection legislation, ask a question or make a complaint about how your information is used; please contact the Data Protection Officer using one of the methods set out at the above.
Requests for information made to the Commission
In the event of a request for information being made under access to information legislation, it may be necessary to disclose all or part of the information that you provide. We will only do this if we are required to do so by law.
How to complain
You can complain to the Data Protection Officer if you are unhappy with how we have used your data. Contact details can be found above. If, following a complaint, you remain dissatisfied with our response, you can also complain to the ICO.
The ICO’s address is:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113