Privacy policies

We have a general privacy policy which gives information on how we will use your data and your rights as an individual. You can find the privacy policy below.

Please visit the CLAO and PDSO websites for details of their policies. For the Solicitor Contact Line, please see their privacy policy.

Our privacy policy

We are the public authority which administers legal aid in Scotland in terms of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986.

In carrying out these functions we collect, use and retain different types of personal information about you.

We rely on specific provisions under Article 6 and 9 of the General Data Protection Regulation as the lawful basis for processing of data, as a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

Our lawful basis for processing personal data will also include contractual obligations with service providers and suppliers.

This Privacy notice describes how we collect and use Personal Data, in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and any other applicable data protection law in the United Kingdom.

It applies to Personal Data provided to us, by both individuals or by others.

We provide individuals with privacy information at the time we collect their personal data. This privacy policy explains how we use any personal information we collect.

What information do we collect about you?

  • Applicants (including spouse/partner and any dependants)
  • Opponents, witnesses and referees
  • Suppliers and service providers
  • Solicitors and Advocates
  • Complainants and enquirers
  • Visitors to our premises

Some types of personal data are defined as special. We will only collect and use these types of information where we need to and if the law allows us to.

Special categories of personal data include:

  • Racial or ethnic origin
  • Political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs
  • Trade union membership
  • Genetic or biometric data used for ID purposes
  • Health data
  • Sex life and sexual orientation
  • Criminal convictions data

Data security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to protect your personal information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal information to those people who have a business need to know.

We have put procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.

In some circumstances we may anonymise or pseudonymise Personal Data so that it can no longer be associated with the Data Subject, in which case we may use it without further notice.

  • Data sharing
  • Data retention
  • Changes to your data

Your rights

  • Details of your rights

If you want to review, verify, correct or request erasure of your personal information, object to the processing of your personal data, request that we transfer a copy of your personal information to another party or request the reconsideration of an automated decision, please contact our Data Protection Officer at DPO@slab.org.uk.

You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal information (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request for access is clearly unfounded or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access the information (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is another appropriate security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.

Where you have provided your consent to the collection, processing and transfer of your personal information for a specific purpose, you have the right to withdraw your consent for that specific processing at any time. To withdraw your consent, please contact our DPO. Once we have received notification that you have withdrawn your consent, we will no longer process your information for the purpose or purposes you originally agreed to.

If you are unhappy with the response you get from us, you can ask us to look again at your request; you can write to our Data Protection Officer at SAR@slab.org.uk or using our postal address. At any time, you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to review our decision or to go to court to enforce your rights.

Changes to this privacy notice

We keep this privacy notice under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated on 10/03/2023.

Contact Information

Data Protection Officer
Scottish Legal Aid Board
Thistle House
91 Haymarket Terrace
Edinburgh
EH12 5HE

DPO@slab.org.uk
0131 226 7061

The Information Commissioner

You can find information about how to report a concern to the Information Commissioner on their website, as well as call or write to them:

  • Website
  • 0303 123 1113
  • Information Commissioner’s Office
    Wycliffe House
    Water Lane
    Wilmslow
    Cheshire
    SK9 5AF

Alternatively, you can contact the Scottish Regional Office for the ICO Information Commissioner’s Office:

  • Website
  • 0303 123 1115
  • Information Commissioner’s Office – Scotland
    Queen Elizabeth House
    Sibbald Walk
    Edinburgh
    EH8 8FT

Staff Privacy Policy

This document provides information about how we process data relating to our current and former employees or relevant dependants, workers and agency contractors and “staff” in the wider sense to include Board Members and those on work experience placements.

File Type Size
SLAB Privacy Notice Staff 1 MB | 14 July 2022 PDF 1 MB