Purpose
This policy describes how Employment, Social Security and Housing (ESSH) will make sure your rights are maintained when you make a request under the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 (the law), and in particular, a Subject Access Request (SAR).
If you need a copy of a letter or report, this does not need to go through the formal SAR procedure, call us on +44 (0)1534 444444.
Making your subject access request
The easiest way to make your subject access request is using our online form where it will be received by the Central Data Protection Unit (CDPU). They will check your identification and proof of address before sending the request through to ESSH for our teams to process.
How to make a subject access request
You can also make your request to the subject access request team:
They will convert it into a formal written request on your behalf.
Clarifying your request
Once we verify your request, we have 4 weeks to provide you with your records. If your request is very broad or unclear, we'll contact you to check we understand the types of records you require.
Requests for all records are allowed within the law, but often take a long time to collate, and may not provide the detail you require. It's in your interest to be a clear as possible as to the records you need.
The CDPU team can take a call to support you with this if needed. You can email sar@gov.je.
You don't need to tell us why you would like your records, but it may help us to identify the exact records which will be most helpful to you.
If your request is large or complex, the law allows us an additional 8 weeks to provide you with the information. We'll contact you to discuss a new completion date.
Where we have asked you for clarification of your request we'll ask you to confirm this in writing.
Records held by ESSH
ESSH holds a wide variety of records such as:
- documentation associated with all benefit claims including medical reports
- Back to Work records
- contributions records
- business licensing documentation
- registration status records
- COVID-19 support schemes
Our records are held on a variety of electronic systems. We still have some records in paper filing systems.
More information about ESSH activity and the records we're likely to hold
Information we cannot provide
The time periods we keep our records for are laid out on our
retention schedules. It will not be possible to provide you with records that are outside of their retention period as they will have been destroyed.
The law gives you the right to access the records we hold about you, but sometimes we may need or decide to withhold certain information. This may be an entire document or part of a document. We'll only do this if the law allows it, and we'll tell you which reason in the law has been used.
The format you receive your records in
We aim to provide you with your records in a format that is clear and suits your needs.
Let us know if you have any requirements for records in different formats.
Records provided to you by email will come using encryption to protect your privacy. Records in paper format will be posted using recorded delivery to the address we have on our systems for you.
If you choose to collect your records from our main office on Union Street, we will ask you for photographic ID before giving them to you.
Complaints and queries
Our team are trained in managing SARs and in the location of records on our systems. We'll do our best to deliver on your request within the requirements of the law. When you receive your records, you can contact usif you have any questions or concerns.
If we're unable to satisfy your concerns, you can contact the Government of Jersey's Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter with ESSH by email at DPO@gov.je.
The Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner can also be contacted at
enquiries@jerseyoic.org or +44 (0) 1534 716530.
gov.je