Data protection
What is data protection?
Data protection concerns information relating to living individuals. This might include names, addresses, dates of birth, religious beliefs and so on. Included is any data which is in, or is likely to come into, the possession of the data controller, i.e. Queen Mary and its employees.
Staff should familiarise themselves with Queen Mary's Data Protection Policy and its appendix of guidelines.
How Queen Mary uses your personal data
Queen Mary collects and processes information about students (and staff) for various teaching, research and administrative purposes, including the health, safety and welfare of individuals. All personal information will be treated strictly in accordance with Queen Mary's Data Protection Policy and the Data Protection Act 1998. This means that confidentiality will be respected, all appropriate security measures will be taken to prevent unauthorised disclosure and the data will be used only for the purposes stated at enrolment on the Fair Processing Notice (also available on request). You will be advised of any changes to this. Personal information will also be processed as per Queen Mary's notification with the Information Commissioner's Office and its agreement with the Students' Union.
Some of the personal information processed by Queen Mary is classed as "sensitive" data under the Act (for example ethnic origin, marital status, health records etc). If you give Queen Mary any information regarding a disability or learning difficulty it may be passed to any member of Queen Mary who requires it in order to ensure appropriate arrangements for teaching, examination or other facilities, unless you explicitly object. We do all we can to ensure that data remain accurate and up-to-date. It is important that you inform us of any changes to your personal information.
In addition, Queen Mary is obliged to send some data about you to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Please see HESA's fair processing notice for further details (UPDATED April 2012). College staff should read HR's page. Disclosure may also be necessary in other circumstances such as a medical emergency or during the course of investigations being carried out by agencies such as the police.
See also the 'Guidelines on the right to privacy and the monitoring of data'.
How to access your personal data
If Queen Mary processes your personal data you have a right to know what is held, for what purposes and to a copy of this data, on payment of the appropriate fee, by making a data subject access request. Queen Mary will not usually release information to third parties, including family members, without your consent. For further details please see the Information Commissioner's guidance.
You also have the right to object to any processing if you feel this causes you significant damage or distress. The Information Commissioner also has guidance on this.
If you wish to make a subject access request please fill in this form and send it to data-protection@qmul.ac.uk or to: Records & Information Compliance Manager, Room E04 Queens’ Building, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS. A response will be made within 40 calendar days.
Members of staff who receive any requests for personal information should advise the Records & Information Compliance Manager. Training is available on request and via The Learning Institute.
Other information
MySIS and Data Protection Training Slides
MyHR and Data Protection Training Slides
For more information contact the Records & Information Compliance Manager.
Visitors to our website should also view the Privacy Notice.