LAA, 'Civil/crime news: privacy notice changes on legal aid forms' (13/7/22)
New legal aid forms New forms from 13/7/22. Old forms will be accepted until 15/10/22.
See also
Text of Gov.uk page
Which forms are affected?
Changes are being made on 13 July 2022 to privacy notices on all legal aid forms across both criminal and civil legal aid.
Why do we have privacy notices?
Privacy notices set out certain standards which clients can expect from the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) regarding their personal data.
Among the areas covered are:
- our requests for personal data and the way it is managed
- how to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold
- what to do if your client thinks standards are not being met
How has the privacy notice been changed?
Amendments to the privacy notices have been made to reflect the way LAA systems and processes work when handling and storing data.
The changes include references to:
- information transfers which may take place to support staff for our call centre software located in USA, Romania, Philippines, Singapore or Australia
- sharing information with public authorities such as HMRC and DWP and with debt collection partners such as Marston Holdings for the purposes of tracing, debt collection and enforcement
- lawful basis for the collection of information
- overall decisions on an application for legal aid or a claim for costs in a legal aid case will always be made by a human decision-maker
- change of contact details for the Data Protection Officer for the Ministry of Justice
Privacy notices includes text on safeguarding measures and compliance with data protection laws.
Will old forms still be accepted?
Previous versions of the application forms will continue to be accepted until 15 October 2022, so providers have time to adjust.
Show all clients updated privacy notices
Your clients need to be aware of the updated privacy notices. This is especially important if you are submitting the older version of the form.
It means directing your clients to the new privacy notices when you are collecting personal information.
These privacy notices are on the new forms and you can use the links at the end of this article to help you.
CCMS privacy notices
We are working on integrating privacy notices into the Client and Cost Management System (CCMS) which will be updated in due course.
Updated forms:
Controlled work application forms