Privacy Policy

Forestry England Privacy Notice

This notice sets out how we will use your personal data, and your rights. It is made under Articles 13 and/or 14 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Your data

The data

We will process the following personal data:

When you create an account:

  • name

  • email address

  • your employer (civil servants only)

  • your line manager’s email address (optional - for civil servants to verify their employment)

When you create an account to set up and manage vacancies:

  • name

  • email address

  • your employer

  • staff number

Civil servants who are priority movers have the option to create a profile and add:

  • full contact details, including address

  • employer, role, grade and location

  • employment history

  • diversity and inclusion information

When you view a job advert we may automatically collect:

  • your referral source - the website where you saw the job advert

  • details of the pages you have viewed - including how long you spend on a page, and which links you select

  • information about your computer - such as the web browser used and device type

  • your approximate geographic location based on your IP address

When you make an application we may ask for:

  • full contact details, including address, and mobile phone number

  • eligibility - nationality and immigration status

  • employment history

  • qualifications, licences and professional memberships

  • diversity and inclusion information

  • CV and personal statement

  • Disability Confident Scheme and reasonable adjustment requirements

  • whether or not you are a veteran of Her Majesty's Armed Forces

When you are invited to an interview we may ask you to provide:

  • evidence of your identity and right to work in the UK - such as your passport, utility bills or other documentation

When you undergo pre-employment checks we may ask for:

  • Nationality and right to work information

  • contact details for your referees: By providing this information, you are happy for us to contact them, if needed. Any third parties contacted at pre-employment checks stage, would be contacted using the name present on your application form.

  • National Insurance number

  • date of birth

  • public sector pension history

  • health declaration

  • evidence of time spent outside of the UK

  • details of any self-employment

  • evidence of current Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate

  • bankruptcy details

  • proof of current address, including postcode

  • addresses for the last 3 years

  • passport details

  • driving licence details

  • previous names you have been known by

  • workplace discipline information

  • criminal history individuals

If you consent to complete a Right to Work or digital identity check online using the Forestry England Identity Document Validation Technology (IDVT) solution we will ask for biometric data:

  • photographs of your face and your passport or passport card

Biometrics are biological measurements or physical characteristics that can be used to identify individuals.

If you are already working for the Civil Service and moving to another government department, we may also ask for:

  • two most recent consecutive payslips

  • current National Security Vetting clearance

  • current employee number

In order to help test the effectiveness and fairness of new questions for our online tests, you may be presented with a few trial questions as part of your online test and/or you may be contacted to complete a separate trial test.

The list above only applies for applications made through the Forestry England system. Some advertisers may use their own application systems, when their privacy notice will apply.

When you contact us with feedback or an enquiry we will process:

  • your email address

  • the details of your request

Purpose

The purposes for which we are processing your personal data are:

  • to manage recruitment for the Forestry Commission . This includes a job board, online application service, sift tests, interview scheduling, and pre-employment checking service

  • to assess your suitability for a role

  • to enable the creation of user accounts

  • to provide updates on the recruitment process

  • to offer a job alert email service

  • to undertake pre-employment checking and onboarding activity before you start in a role in the Civil Service (including health, pension questionnaire, character declaration)

  • to comply with the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) which consists of:

    • verification of identity

    • verification of nationality and immigration status - including your right to work in the UK and including entitlement to undertake the work in question

    • verification of employment history - through cross-referencing information against the HMRC PAYE system or through references

    • verification of criminal record (unspent convictions) - for HMRC vacancies this check will also include spent convictions

    • additional verification - only applies where additional verification or assurance is required

Legal basis of processing

The legal basis for processing your personal data is:

  • Contractual: it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party - an employment contract. This relates to information that we need to recruit and employ you.

  • Contractual: it is necessary in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract for employment. This relates to information that we collect as part of the application and selection process.

  • Legal obligation: it is necessary to comply with a legal obligation placed on us as the data controller - we are required to report on equality of opportunity; and onboarding processes have specific requirements

  • Public task: processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller. Forestry England

  • Consent: for the digital right to work checks, personnel checks, and participation in user research interviews we rely on your consent.

Sensitive personal data is personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person's sex life or sexual orientation.

The legal basis for processing your sensitive personal data is:

  • processing is of a specific category of personal data and it is necessary for the purposes of identifying or keeping under review the existence or absence of equality of opportunity or treatment between groups of people specified (in paragraph 8(2) of Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act 2018) in relation to that category with a view to enabling such equality to be promoted or maintained; and it is not carried out for the purposes of measures or decisions with respect to a particular data subject; and you have not declined consent; and you have not given notice that you do not wish your data to be processed for these purposes; and the processing is not likely to cause substantial damage or substantial distress to an individual. Diversity and inclusion data is used anonymously: ethnicity, religion, community background (Northern Ireland vacancies only), and sexual orientation.

  • it is necessary for archiving purposes, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes, and it is in the public interest. Analysis of applications and recruitment outcomes (including online tests), impact on protected groups, timescales for recruitment, and other research may be carried out.

  • for the provision of a digital route for carrying out Right to Work checks, the legal basis for providing a digital version of your face and identity documents, is because you explicitly consent.

  • for user research activities such as surveys, interviews or workshops, the legal basis is because you explicitly consent.

The processing by us of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences or related security measures is not carried out under official authority, but is authorised because it meets the following condition:

  • it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest. This is ensuring that individuals with access to official information and assets will meet the required standards of propriety.

 

Recipients

Your personal data will be shared by us with:

Account data:

  • our technical suppliers and their approved staff

  • our technical supplier's hosting provider

  • profiles may be shared with departments who have vacancies available for priority movers

Once you have made an application, your information may be shared with:

  • approved staff managing vacancies (including recruiters and interview panel members)

  • Government Recruitment Service (GRS - managing recruitment on behalf of some recruiting departments)

  • the recruiting departments or profession

  • our technical supplier and their hosting provider

  • Customer relationship management system

  • Email survey tools

  • Providers of individual leadership assessments, psychometric tests and staff engagement exercises

If you meet the required standard but the recruiting department is unable to offer you the job, you may be given the option of being added to a reserve list. Reserve lists may be shared with other Civil Service departments and professions who are recruiting for similar roles.

For senior civil service roles, your data may be held by the Civil Service HR team within the Cabinet Office to provide a list of potential candidates to be considered for similar future roles.

If you undergo pre-employment checks prior to appointment, your data may be shared with:

  • Customer relationship management system

  • To undertake recruitment activities including pre employment checks 

  • our digital identity checks supplier and their supply chain - for identity verification

  • Disclosure and Barring Service

  •  Secure mail platform 

  • occupational health providers

  • Translation Services and accessibility providers 

  • Civil Service Pensions

  • the UK Security Vetting team, as well as the Security Cluster department for the relevant employer (which will be either HMRC, DWP, Home Office, MoD, or the FCO)

If you request support with your application or for a technical issue:

  • approved staff from our technical suppliers

  • customer relationship management system

  • project management tools

  • technical suppliers of online tests

Retention

Your personal data will be kept by us for the following durations:

Application records and associated files (including CVs, letters, emails, criminal history certificates, comment and feedback) will be deleted 3 years after the application is moved to a completed status.

Completed statuses are where no further action is expected, and include successful appointment, withdrawn, or rejected statuses.

Where you have completed a Right to Work or DBS Basic level digital identity verification check, your personal data will be deleted from the checking provider’s system for 2 years  after the check, but the results will be retained by Forestry England as part of your application records as described above.

If you complete an Enhanced level of digital identity verification check that includes address verification, your personal details will be retained by the checking provider for 4 years. Any results returned to Forestry England as part of your application records will be retained as described above.

User research recordings, survey responses, and related consent forms will be deleted 2 years after the date of the recording.

Candidate user panel data will be deleted 2 year after being added to the database. However, if you withdraw your consent, your data will be removed immediately.

Candidate accounts - you can, at any time, choose to close your account. This will:

  • remove your ability to login to the account

  • withdraw any active applications

  • delete partially-completed applications which haven’t been submitted

  • disable the automatic sending of job alerts

Closed accounts are deleted and cannot be restored, however previously submitted applications will be retained until deletion for the period described above.

Candidate accounts that are active will remain in the system unless the candidate deletes them (or makes a request for deletion). An account will become inactive if the user has not logged in for two years.

Vacancy manager accounts

ATS account holders are required to periodically reconfirm that they still require access, otherwise the account will become inactive.

Inactive accounts will be deleted three years after the last time the user logged in. Active accounts will remain in the system.

 

Automated decision making

Your personal data will be subject to automated decision making when online questionnaires and/or assessments are used.

 

Candidates might be asked to complete questionnaires as part of the application to assess suitability for the role. For example, having a driver’s licence if it is required to perform the duties in the role.

 

Some vacancies use online assessments in the early stages of recruitment.  

 

Decisions are made on who to invite to later stages based on automated scoring and sifting processes. In addition, assessment scores and other applicant data are regularly captured for statistical and research analysis purposes.

Your score is calculated from the responses you give during the assessment, and no other information about you is used. The vacancy will have a minimum score requirement, and if your score is lower than this, you will be rejected, and your application will not be considered further.

 

If your score is higher than this, your original score may be re-used, for a period of six months, should you apply for a different job where the same test is being used.

 

When undertaking digital (IDVT) Right to Work checks, your image will be automatically assessed as having passed or failed a match against your identity documents. This will then be validated by a living person before the final decision is made.

Your rights

You have the right to request information about how your personal data is processed, and to request a copy of that personal data.

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.

  • your personal data is available to view in your Application Centre at any time

  • you can request a copy of your personal data, in machine-readable format, by emailing  You have the right to request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay.

  • you can also edit contact details on submitted applications

  • to request corrections to an application you have submitted, email the contact listed on the advert for that vacancy - however only minor updates are usually considered

You have the right to request that any incomplete personal data are completed, including by means of a supplementary statement.

  • you can add additional contact details via your Application Centre at any time

  • in most cases, you will be unable to submit an application if mandatory information is missing

  • please check your application carefully before submitting it, as your application will be assessed on the information you provide at that point

You have the right to request that your personal data is erased if there is no longer a justification for it to be processed.

  • you can close your account at any time, - this will:

    • withdraw any submitted applications

    • delete any unsubmitted applications

    • stop job alerts being sent to you

    • delete your account data and remove your ability to log into your account again

  • any applications you have made in the past will be kept for audit purposes under our data retention policy

You have the right in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested) to request that the processing of your personal data is restricted.

  • if your data is restricted from processing, you cannot be considered for a job

  • if your request relates to an application, email the contact listed on the job advert

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where it is processed for direct marketing purposes.

  • your data is not processed for direct marketing purposes

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data.

  • you can object to processing, although you will then be unable to be considered for a job

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, where that has been asked of you.

You have the right, in relation to automatic profiling, to obtain human intervention in the outcome, to express your point of view, and to contest the decision reached by automatic profiling.

  • you can email the contact listed on the advert for the job you have applied for

Complaints

If you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may contact recruitment@forestryengland.uk to raise your concern.  

 

Alternatively, you can raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
0303 123 1113
casework@ico.org.uk

Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts.

Contact details

Updates to this notice

If this privacy notice changes in any way, we will place an updated version on this page. Regularly reviewing this page ensures you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we will share it with other parties.

Last updated: 08th March 2024