This statement sets out who will use the information you have provided in connection with the applicant’s application for student finance and what they will use it for.
The information which you give will be used to process student finance applications for persons dependent on you. The Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills has transferred certain functions relating to student finance applications to Local Education Authorities (LEAs). Student Loans Company (SLC) also carries out certain functions on their behalf.
The LEAs and SLC:
This Data Protection Statement applies generally to all sponsors of applicants. However, some LEAs were taking part in a ‘Centralised Pilot Scheme’ in the 2007/08 academic year and this arrangement will continue for the 2008/09 academic year. If the applicant's LEA is continuing to take part in the Centralised Pilot Scheme this will continue to affect the role that it and SLC play in relation to the applicant's application. The specific details are set out below.
The following LEAs will continue to be part of the Centralised Pilot Scheme in academic year 2008/09:
• London Borough of Brent
• Darlington Borough Council
• London Borough of Hackney
• Hartlepool Borough Council
• North Yorkshire County Council
• Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
• Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
• South Tyneside Council
• London Borough of Southwark
• Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
• York City Council
If one of the LEAs mentioned is the applicant's LEA, their application for student finance will be dealt with by SLC and not the LEA. SLC will need the information provided in connection with the application to determine whether applicants dependent on you are eligible for student finance and assess the maximum amount of financial support they are entitled to. SLC is the data controller for this information. SLC will need to keep personal information about you, your partner and your relatives so that it can audit its assessment of financial support. SLC will have access to your personal data in order to provide customer services to you and to respond to your questions and to update information on your account.
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) is also a data controller for all of this information as it is responsible for it by law. However, if you would like to see your information please contact SLC.
If the applicant’s LEA is not part of the Centralised Pilot Scheme, it will need the information provided in connection with the application to determine whether applicants dependent on you are eligible for student finance and to assess the maximum amount of financial support they are entitled to. The LEA is the data controller for this information. The LEA will need to keep personal information about you, your partner and your relatives so that it can audit its assessment of financial support. If you would like to see your information please contact the applicant's LEA.
The applicant's LEA and SLC will have shared access to account information to provide customer services to you and to respond to your questions and update information on your account.
In all cases, SLC will need information provided in connection with the applicant's application to handle payments, as appropriate and is the data controller for this information. SLC will have to keep personal information about you for this purpose. DIUS is also a data controller for this information as it is responsible for it by law. However, if you want to see this information please contact SLC.
SLC may also use your information to maintain or develop its systems.
The applicant’s university or college may ask for financial information that you provide in connection with the applicant’s application for student finance for bursary administration purposes from SLC, the applicant’s LEA or the Secretary of State. This information will only be shared where you have consented for the information being shared for bursary administration purposes.
In this instance, the university or college will be the data controller of the information and will use it to assess eligibility and make payment of any bursary or scholarship to which the applicant may be entitled. If you would like to see this information please contact the applicant's university or college.
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) may use the information you have provided to monitor the performance of the student finance system and to develop future policy. Any published output from this statistical work will be anonymous and will not identify individuals.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) which carries out certain functions on behalf of HEFCE may, in carrying out HEFCE's statutory functions relating to the funding of education, use the information provided for statistical analysis. HESA and HEFCE will not identify individuals in any published results.
By law, the LEA, SLC and the applicant’s university or college must protect the public funds they handle and may use the information you have provided to detect and prevent fraud. They may also share the information, for the same purposes, with other organisations which handle public funds.
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