Privacy Policy

You must read this policy because it gives important information about:

the data protection principles with which Kings Court Trust Limited and Title Research Limited (hereafter referred to as “the Group”) must comply.
what is meant by personal information (or data) and sensitive personal information (or data).
how we gather, use and (ultimately) delete personal information and sensitive personal information in accordance with the data protection principles.
where more detailed privacy information can be found, e.g. about the personal information we gather and use about you, how it is used, stored and transferred, for what purposes, the steps taken to keep that information secure and for how long it is kept.
your rights and obligations in relation to data protection; and
the consequences of failure to comply with this policy.

Introduction

1.1 The Group obtains, keeps and uses personal information (also referred to as data) about job applicants and about current and former employees, temporary and agency workers, contractors, interns, volunteers and apprentices for a number specific lawful purposes, as set out in the Group’s Employment Manual.

1.2 This policy sets out how we comply with our data protection obligations and seek to protect personal information relating to our workforce. Its purpose is also to ensure that staff understand and comply with the rules governing the collection, use and deletion of personal information to which they may have access in the course of their work.

1.3 We are committed to complying with our data protection obligations, and to being concise, clear and transparent about how we obtain and use personal information relating to our colleagues, and how (and when) we delete that information once it is no longer required.

1.4 The Risk & Compliance Director is responsible for data protection compliance within the Group. If you have any questions or comments about the content of this policy or if you need further information, you should contact the Risk & Compliance Director.

2 Scope

2.1 This policy applies to the personal information of job applicants and current and former staff, including employees, temporary and agency workers, interns, volunteers and apprentices.

2.2 Staff should refer to the Group’s Employment Manual and Information Security Policy and, where appropriate, to its other relevant policies including in relation to the Information Security Manual which contain further information regarding the protection of personal information in those contexts.

2.3 The Group will review and update this policy every two years in accordance with our data protection obligations. It does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment, and we may amend, update or supplement it from time to time. This policy will be made available to staff through the document storage tool currently in place at the given time.

3 Definitions

criminal records information	means personal information relating to criminal convictions and offences, allegations, proceedings, and related security measures.
data breach	means a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal information.
data subject	means the individual to whom the personal information relates.
personal information	(Sometimes known as personal data) means information relating to an individual who can be identified (directly or indirectly) from that information.
processing information	means obtaining, recording, organising, storing, amending, retrieving, disclosing and/or destroying information, or using or doing anything with it.
pseudonymised	means the process by which personal information is processed in such a way that it cannot be used to identify an individual without the use of additional information, which is kept separately and subject to technical and organisational measures to ensure that the personal information cannot be attributed to an identifiable individual.
sensitive personal information	(Sometimes known as ‘special categories of personal data’ or ‘sensitive personal data’) means personal information about an individual’s race, ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership (or non-membership), genetics information, biometric information (where used to identify an individual) and information concerning an individual’s health, sex life or sexual orientation.

4 Data protection principles

4.1 The Group will comply with the following data protection principles when processing personal information:

4.1.1 we will process personal information lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner.

4.1.2 we will collect personal information for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes only, and will not process it in a way that is incompatible with those legitimate purposes.

4.1.3 we will only process the personal information that is adequate, relevant and necessary for the relevant purposes.

4.1.4 we will keep accurate and up to date personal information and take reasonable steps to ensure that inaccurate personal information is deleted or corrected without delay.

4.1.5 we will keep personal information for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the information is processed; and

4.1.6 we will take appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure that personal information is kept secure and protected against unauthorised or unlawful processing, and against accidental loss, destruction or damage.

5 Basis for processing personal information

5.1 In relation to any processing activity we will, before the processing starts for the first time, and then regularly while it continues:

5.1.1 review the purposes of the particular processing activity, and select the most appropriate lawful basis (or bases) for that processing, ie:

(a) that the data subject has consented to the processing.

(b) that the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which the data subject is party or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.

(d) that the processing is necessary for the protection of the vital interests of the data subject or another natural person.

(e) that the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or exercise of official authority (although it is understood that as a private limited Group providing consumer legal services, we will process little or no data on the basis of such process being in the public interest); or

(f) that the processing is necessary for the purposes of legitimate interests of the Group or a third party, except where those interests are overridden by the interests of fundamental rights and freedoms of the data subject—see clause 5.2 below.

5.1.2 except where the processing is based on consent, satisfy us that the processing is necessary for the purpose of the relevant lawful basis (i.e. that there is no other reasonable way to achieve that purpose).

5.1.3 document our decision as to which lawful basis applies, to help demonstrate our compliance with the data protection principles.

5.1.4 include information about both the purposes of the processing and the lawful basis for it in our relevant privacy notice(s).

5.1.5 where sensitive personal information is processed, also identify a lawful special condition for processing that information (see paragraph 6.2.2 below), and document it; and

5.1.6 where criminal offence information is processed, also identify a lawful condition for processing that information, and document it.

5.2 When determining whether the Group’s legitimate interests are the most appropriate basis for lawful processing, we will:

5.2.1 conduct a legitimate interest's assessment (LIA) and keep a record of it, to ensure that we can justify our decision.

5.2.2 if the LIA identifies a significant privacy impact, consider whether we also need to conduct a data protection impact assessment (DPIA);

5.2.3 keep the LIA under review, and repeat it if circumstances change; and

5.2.4 include information about our legitimate interests in our relevant privacy notice(s).

6 Sensitive personal information

6.1 Sensitive personal information is sometimes referred to as ‘special categories of personal data’ or ‘sensitive personal data’.

6.2 The Group may from time to time need to process sensitive personal information. We will only process sensitive personal information if:

6.2.1 we have a lawful basis for doing so as set out in paragraph 5.1.1 above, e.g. it is necessary for the performance of the employment contract, to comply with the Group’s legal obligations or for the purposes of the Group’s legitimate interests; and

6.2.2 one of the special conditions for processing sensitive personal information applies, e.g.:

(a) the data subject has given explicit consent.

(b) the processing is necessary for the purposes of exercising the employment law rights or obligations of the Group or the data subject.

(c) the processing is necessary to protect the data subject’s vital interests, and the data subject is physically incapable of giving consent.

(d) processing relates to personal data which are manifestly made public by the data subject.

(e) the processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; or

(f) the processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.

6.3 Before processing any new or unusual categories of sensitive personal information, the HR department staff must notify the Risk & Compliance Director of the proposed processing, in order to review whether the processing complies with the criteria noted above.

6.4 Sensitive personal information will not be processed until:

6.4.1 the assessment referred to in paragraph 6.3 has taken place; and

6.4.2 the individual has been properly informed (by way of a privacy notice or otherwise) of the nature of the processing, the purposes for which it is being carried out and the legal basis for it.

6.5 The Group will not carry out automated decision-making (including profiling) based on any individual’s sensitive personal information.

6.6 With the exception of employee details, the Group does not anticipate processing sensitive personal information, and will provide employees with appropriate notice via employment documentation. However, in the event that other sensitive personal information is processed in the future, The Group will prepare an appropriate privacy notice to set out the types of sensitive personal information processed, what it is used for and the lawful basis for the processing.

6.7 In relation to sensitive personal information, the Group will comply with the procedures set out in paragraphs 6.8 and 6.9 below to make sure that it complies with the data protection principles set out in paragraph 4 above.

6.8 During the recruitment process: the HR department, with guidance from the Risk & Compliance Director will ensure that (except where the law permits otherwise):

6.8.1 during the short-listing, interview and decision-making stages, no questions are asked relating to sensitive personal information, e.g. race or ethnic origin, trade union membership or health.

6.8.2 if sensitive personal information is received, e.g., the applicant provides it without being asked for it within his or her CV or during the interview, no record is kept of it and any reference to it is immediately deleted or redacted.

6.8.3 any completed equal opportunities monitoring form is kept separate from the individual’s application form, and not be seen by the person shortlisting, interviewing or making the recruitment decision.

6.8.4 ‘right to work’ checks are carried out before an offer of employment is made unconditional, and not during the earlier short-listing, interview or decision-making stages.

6.8.5 we will not ask health questions in connection with recruitment OR only ask health questions once an offer of employment has been made.

6.9 During employment: the HR department will process:

6.9.1 health information for the purposes of administering sick pay, keeping sickness absence records, monitoring staff attendance and facilitating employment-related health and sickness benefits; and

6.9.2 sensitive personal information for the purposes of equal opportunities monitoring and pay equality reporting. Where possible, this information will be anonymised.

6.9.3 Trade union membership is not currently a relevant category of sensitive personal information, but should union membership become a relevant issue, this data will be processed for the purposes of staff administration and administering ‘check off’.

7 Criminal records information

Criminal records information will be processed in accordance with the Group’s Information Security Manual as sensitive personal information.

8 Data protection impact assessments (DPIAs)

8.1 Where a change in processing is likely to result in a high risk to an individual’s data protection rights (e.g., where the Group is planning to use a new form of technology), we will, before commencing the processing, carry out a DPIA to assess:

8.1.1 whether the processing is necessary and proportionate in relation to its purpose.

8.1.2 the risks to individuals; and

8.1.3 what measures can be put in place to address those risks and protect personal information.

8.2 Before any new form of technology is introduced, the manager responsible should therefore contact Risk & Compliance Director in order that a DPIA can be carried out.

8.3 During the course of any DPIA relating to colleague data, the Group will seek the advice of the Risk & Compliance Director and the views of relevant employees and any other relevant stakeholders.

9 Documentation and records

9.1 We will keep documentation relating to processing activities which are high risk, i.e. which may result in a risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms or involve sensitive personal information or criminal records information including:

9.1.1 the name and details of the employer’s organisation (and where applicable, of other controllers, the employer's representative and DPO);

9.1.2 the purposes of the processing.

9.1.3 a description of the categories of individuals and categories of personal data.

9.1.4 where relevant, details of transfers to third countries, including documentation of the transfer mechanism safeguards in place.

9.1.5 where possible, retention schedules; and

9.1.6 where practical, a description of technical and organisational security measures.

9.2 As part of our record of processing activities we document, or link to documentation, on:

9.2.1 information required for privacy notices.

9.2.2 records of consent.

9.2.3 controller-processor contracts.

9.2.4 the location of personal information.

9.2.5 DPIAs; and

9.2.6 records of data breaches.

9.3 If we process sensitive personal information or criminal records information, we will keep written records of:

9.3.1 the relevant purpose(s) for which the processing takes place, including (where required) why it is necessary for that purpose.

9.3.2 the lawful basis for our processing; and

9.3.3 whether we retain and erase the personal information in accordance with our policy document and, if not, the reasons for not following our policy.

9.4 We will conduct regular reviews of the personal information we process and update our documentation accordingly. This may include:

9.4.1 carrying out contract audits to ensure an appropriate data handling clause/agreement is present in agreements that involve data processing; and

9.4.2 reviewing our policies, procedures, contracts and agreements to address areas such as retention, security and data sharing.

9.5 We document our processing activities in electronic form so we can add, remove and amend information easily.

10 Privacy notice

10.1 The Group will issue privacy notices from time to time, informing you about the personal information that we collect and hold relating to you, how you can expect your personal information to be used and for what purposes.

10.2 We will take appropriate measures to provide information in privacy notices in a concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible form, using clear and plain language.

10.3 Further information about Group processing of colleague data is shown at Schedule 1.

10.3.1 Further information about processing of colleague data using third parties is shown at Schedule 2.

11 Individual rights

11.1 You (in common with other data subjects) have the following rights in relation to your personal information:

11.1.1 to be informed about how, why and on what basis that information is processed—see the Group’s (see Schedule 1 below);

11.1.2 to obtain confirmation that your information is being processed and to obtain access to it and certain other information, by making a subject access request (SAR)—see the Group’s Information Security Manual in respect of SARs.

11.1.3 to have data corrected if it is inaccurate or incomplete.

11.1.4 to have data erased if it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was originally collected/processed, or if there are no overriding legitimate grounds for the processing (this is sometimes known as ‘the right to be forgotten’).

11.1.5 to restrict the processing of personal information where the accuracy of the information is contested, or the processing is unlawful (but you do not want the data to be erased), or where the employer no longer needs the personal information, but you require the data to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim; and

11.1.6 to restrict the processing of personal information temporarily where you do not think it is accurate (and the employer is verifying whether it is accurate), or where you have objected to the processing (and the employer is considering whether the organisation’s legitimate grounds override your interests).

11.2 If you wish to exercise any of the rights in paragraphs 11.1.3 to 11.1.6, please contact the HR Officer or the Risk & Compliance Director.

12 Individual obligations

12.1 Individuals are responsible for helping the Group keep their personal information up to date. You should let the HR department know if the information you have provided to the Group changes, for example if you move house or change details of the bank or building society account to which you are paid. Alternatively, you can update your own personal information on a secure basis via the Group's People HR system (or any successor or replacement system as may be in place from time to time).

12.2 You may have access to the personal information of other members of staff, suppliers, customers and clients of the Group in the course of your employment or engagement. If so, the Group expects you to help meet its data protection obligations to those individuals. For example, you should be aware that they may also enjoy the rights set out in paragraph 11.1 above.

12.3 If you have access to personal information, you must:

12.3.1 only access the personal information that you have authority to access, and only for authorised purposes.

12.3.2 only allow other Group staff to access personal information if they have appropriate authorisation.

12.3.3 only allow individuals who are not Group staff to access personal information if you have specific authority to do so from a member of the Executive Team.

12.3.4 keep personal information secure (e.g. by complying with rules on access to premises, computer access, password protection and secure file storage and destruction and other precautions set out in the Group’s Information Security Manual.

12.3.5 not remove personal information, or devices containing personal information (or which can be used to access it), from the Group’s premises unless appropriate security measures are in place (such as pseudonymisation, encryption or password protection) to secure the information and the device; and

12.3.6 not store personal information on local drives or on personal devices that are used for work purposes and comply with the Group’s policy on data storage.

12.4 You should contact the Risk & Compliance Director if you are concerned or suspect that one of the following has taken place (or is taking place or likely to take place):

12.4.1 processing of personal data without a lawful basis for its processing or, in the case of sensitive personal information, without one of the conditions in paragraph 6.2.2 being met.

12.4.2 any data breach as set out in paragraph 15.1 below.

12.4.3 access to personal information without the proper authorisation.

12.4.4 personal information not kept or deleted securely.

12.4.5 removal of personal information, or devices containing personal information (or which can be used to access it), from the Group’s premises without appropriate security measures being in place.

12.4.6 any other breach of this policy or of any of the data protection principles set out in paragraph 4.1 above.

13 Information security

13.1 The Group will use appropriate technical and organisational measures [ in accordance with the Group’s Information Security Manual to keep personal information secure, and in particular to protect against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage. These may include:

13.1.1 making sure that, where possible, personal information is pseudonymised or encrypted.

13.1.2 ensuring the ongoing confidentiality, integrity, availability and resilience of processing systems and services.

13.1.3 ensuring that, in the event of a physical or technical incident, availability and access to personal information can be restored in a timely manner; and

13.1.4 a process for regularly testing, assessing and evaluating the effectiveness of technical and organisational measures for ensuring the security of the processing.

13.2 Where the Group uses external organisations to process personal information on its behalf, additional security arrangements need to be implemented in contracts with those organisations to safeguard the security of personal information. In particular, contracts with external organisations must provide that:

13.2.1 the organisation may act only on the written instructions of the Group.

13.2.2 those processing the data are subject to a duty of confidence.

13.2.3 appropriate measures are taken to ensure the security of processing.

13.2.4 sub-contractors are only engaged with the prior consent of the Group and under a written contract.

13.2.5 the organisation will assist the Group in providing subject access and allowing individuals to exercise their rights in relation to data protection.

13.2.6 the organisation will assist the Group in meeting its obligations in relation to the security of processing, the notification of data breaches and data protection impact assessments.

13.2.7 the organisation will delete or return all personal information to the Group as requested at the end of the contract; and

13.2.8 the organisation will submit to audits and inspections, provide the Group with whatever information it needs to ensure that they are both meeting their data protection obligations, and tell the Group immediately if it is asked to do something infringing data protection law.

13.3 Before any new agreement involving the processing of personal information by an external organisation is entered into, or an existing agreement is altered, the relevant staff must seek approval of its terms by the Risk & Compliance Director.

14 Storage and retention of personal information

14.1 Personal information (and sensitive personal information) will be kept securely in accordance with the Group’s Information Security Manual.

14.2 Personal information (and sensitive personal information) should not be retained for any longer than necessary. The length of time over which data should be retained will depend upon the circumstances, including the reasons why the personal information was obtained. Staff should follow the Group’s Data Retention Policy which set out the relevant retention period. Where there is any uncertainty, staff should consult the Risk & Compliance Director.

14.3 Personal information (and sensitive personal information) that is no longer required will be deleted permanently from our information systems and any hard copies will be destroyed securely.

14.4 At time of writing, the Group’s retention period is 20 years to address the requirements of HMRC in connection with IHT records and to allow any work staff conduct in respect of those records to be recorded.

15 Data breaches

15.1 A data breach may take many different forms, for example:

15.1.1 loss or theft of data or equipment on which personal information is stored.

15.1.2 unauthorised access to or use of personal information either by a member of staff or third party.

15.1.3 loss of data resulting from an equipment or systems (including hardware and software) failure.

15.1.4 human error, such as accidental deletion or alteration of data.

15.1.5 unforeseen circumstances, such as a fire or flood.

15.1.6 deliberate attacks on IT systems, such as hacking, viruses or phishing scams; and

15.1.7 ‘blagging’ offences, where information is obtained by deceiving the organisation which holds it.

15.2 The Group will:

15.2.1 make the required report of a data breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office without undue delay and, where possible within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, if it is likely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals; and

15.2.2 notify the affected individuals if a data breach is likely to result in a high risk to their rights and freedoms and notification is required by law.

16 International transfers

16.1 The Group may transfer personal information outside the European Economic Area (EEA) (which comprises the countries in the European Union and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). This will only be done where necessary for the fulfilment of an obligation of the Group, or where the organisation receiving the information has provided adequate safeguards by way of appropriate contractual commitments. Where data is transferred outside of the EEA in fulfilment of a Group obligation, such data will be limited as far as practically possible, and appropriate safeguards will be put in place.

17 Training

The Group will ensure that staff are adequately trained regarding their data protection responsibilities.

18 Consequences of failing to comply

18.1 The Group takes compliance with this policy very seriously. Failure to comply with the policy:

18.1.1 puts at risk the individuals whose personal information is being processed; and

18.1.2 carries the risk of significant civil and criminal sanctions for the individual and the Group; and

18.1.3 may, in some circumstances, amount to a criminal offence by the individual.

18.2 Because of the importance of this policy, an employee’s failure to comply with any requirement of it may lead to disciplinary action under our procedures, and this action may result in dismissal for gross misconduct. If a non-employee breaches this policy, they may have their contract terminated with immediate effect.

V 02.11.23

Privacy Policy

Data Use Policy – Information for Colleagues

Introduction