This statement sets out who will use the information you have provided in connection with your application for student finance and what they will use it for.
The information which you, your partner or relatives give ("your personal information") will be used to process your student finance application. The Department for Employment and Learning has made arrangements for certain functions relating to student finance applications to be exercised by Education and Library Boards (ELBs). Student Loans Company (SLC) also carries out certain functions on its behalf.
Your ELB will need the information provided in connection with your application to determine whether you are eligible for student finance and to assess the maximum amount of financial support you are entitled to. Your ELB is the data controller for this information. Your ELB 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 your ELB. Your ELB will make the results of its assessment available to SLC so that it knows how much financial support to pay you.
Your ELB and SLC will also have shared access to account information to provide customer services to you and to respond to your questions and update information on your account.
SLC will need information provided in connection with your 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. The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) 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. Information will also be given to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to check your National Insurance Number and to the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to collect loan repayments. In future HMRC may have shared access to your loan account information to help us collect loan repayments.
If you breach the terms of the loan contract, SLC may share information about you and your account with any person, including the government or a government agency of another country, who may assist them in establishing your whereabouts and/or in taking action to recover outstanding loan amounts.
Your university or college will receive information from SLC so that SLC can pay to it any tuition fee grant or loan you are entitled to, and so that it can confirm the details of your course of study. Your university or college may have shared access to your application and account information in the future for these purposes.
Your university or college may also ask for information that you provide in connection with your application for student finance such as your personal, financial and course details or information about your eligibility for student finance, for bursary administration purposes from SLC, your ELB or DEL. This information will only be shared where you and (where relevant) any person named on your application that is providing financial information, have not opted out of giving consent for the information to be 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 you may be entitled. If you would like to see this information please contact your university or college.
If you study a course approved by the General Social Care Council (GSCC), Care Council for Wales (CCW) or Northern Ireland Social Care Council, you may be entitled to assistance with your tuition fee or be entitled to receive a bursary from the National Health Service Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), CCW or the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) if studying in Northern Ireland. Should you apply for funding assistance from one of these organisations, SLC may share information relating to your tuition fee/personal contribution and attendance at the FE or HE university or college. Only the information required for the assessment of eligibility for funding shall be passed to the relevant organisation.
The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) will have access to your account information to provide customer services to you and 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 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and Jobcentre Plus. Information will be given to DWP to check your National Insurance Number and personal details. Information will also be given to HMRC to check your National Insurance Number to help us collect loan repayments. Jobcentre Plus may ask us to provide confirmation of your eligibility for a loan in order to help you obtain a National Insurance Number.
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, your ELB, SLC and your 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.
You will be able to access your account information online securely via the Internet.
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