The information we collect

The legal basis for processing your information

What we do with it

How long we keep it

Your rights

Whether we share it with a third party

The information we collect and why we want it

The sort of information we will collect will depend on whether you are responding to a consultation, survey or attending one of our engagement events.  We will collect:

• Information to identify you such as your name, contact details.
• Information about whether you are participating in a professional or personal capacity. You can find out more about what we will do with your information if you are participating in a professional or personal capacity below.
• The content of any materials you provide (such as written evidence or correspondence).
• Your views or feedback on your experience relevant to our work.
• We may take photographs and record videos or audio at our events.

The material you provide will enable us to make informed decisions about how the Ombudsman exercises his function.  It will also help us to improve our services.

The legal basis for processing your information

The legal basis we are relying on is article 6(1)(e) of the GDPR, which allows us to process personal data when this is necessary for the performance of the Ombudsman’s public task.

Our governing legislation – the Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2019 – requires us to consult with people as appropriate before conducting investigations under the Ombudsman’s own initiative power of investigation.  It also requires us to publish model complaints-handling procedures for bodies in our jurisdiction and promote best practice.

What we do with it

Any response you send to us will be seen in full by the staff dealing with the specific consultation, survey or engagement event.

In order to show that our consultations are carried out properly, we will publish a summary of the responses we receive.  We may also publish responses in full.

In relation to survey responses or feedback you provide at one of our engagement events we may want to publish your feedback and your name and / or your job role on our website or social media accounts.  We will seek your agreement to this before doing so.

We may also publish photographs, video or audio recordings from our events on our website or social media accounts.  If you do not want to appear in any photographic, video or audio recordings made at our events please let us know when accepting the invitation.

As a public body we are required to consider requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Information you have submitted in response to a consultation on an own initiative investigation may be used by the Ombudsman during any own initiative investigation he begins following the consultation and disclosed for the purposes set out in section 69 of the PSOW Act 2019.

Participating in a professional capacity

Any information we publish will include your name, your job title/role, if relevant, and the name of your organisation.  These details may also be used in other publications or publicity material, unless you inform us that you wish them to be removed.

We may retain your professional contact details and contact you or your organisation to invite you to participate in other consultations or events.  We may also need to contact you again to discuss (if appropriate) whether you could provide additional material.

Participating in a personal capacity

Any information we publish may include your name but not your contact details.  If you do not want your name published, please tell us this in writing when you send your response, so that your name can be redacted before publication.

We will not contact you beyond your participation in a consultation, survey or engagement event (which may include clarifying or discussing your response), unless we have your consent to do so.

How long we keep it for

We will keep individual consultation and survey for six years.  If your details are published as part of the consultation response, then these published reports will be retained indefinitely.

Your rights

You have the following rights over the information we hold about you:

• to request access to your information
• to ask that we update, complete or correct your information, if it is inaccurate or incomplete
• the right to object to our using your information in certain circumstances, and
• the right to limit our use of it in certain circumstances.

You can contact us to exercise your rights or to make a complaint about how your information is used by emailing Information.Request@ombudsman.wales

If you are unhappy with the way in which we have used your information you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Whether we share it with a third party

We often use Survey Monkey and may use Snap Surveys to gather information on our behalf – it will be clear if we are using Survey Monkey or Snap Surveys.  Any data collected by Survey Monkey for the PSOW complies with the EU – US Privacy Shield Framework.  You can  read their Privacy Policy.   Any data collected by Snap Surveys for PSOW is stored on UK servers. You can read their Privacy Policy.