Privacy statement

Basic privacy statement

Below is a brief summary of the SAAS privacy statement and cookie policy. Our full privacy statement can be found on our website. It explains more about why we need to collect your personal information and what it will be used for.

Why we collect your information

We need to collect, hold and process information about you to meet our business purposes which include:

  • Providing financial support to learners in Scotland, including assessment and payment of bursaries and grants
  • Process assessment of student loans
  • Appropriately managing public funds, including crime prevention, detection, investigation and reporting. Additionally, for the recovery of overpayments
  • Contributing to research and policy developments that support learners and the provision of learning support
  • Statistical analysis
  • Share information with Universities and Colleges and other public bodies that allow SAAS to ensure the best outcomes for learners in Scotland
  • Share information for the purpose of crime prevention, detection, investigation and reporting with Police Scotland, HMRC, NFI, Fraud Prevention Agencies and other organisations

    SAAS is the Controller for your personal information acting on behalf of the Scottish Ministers. Further information on the type of processing undertaken by SAAS and the lawful purpose for processing personal data can be found in the main student privacy statement.

What information we collect

We collect information in a variety of ways including paper and online forms, email, telephone, face to face, social media and audio recordings.

Personal information we process can include: name, date of birth, address, relationship status, email address, phone numbers, bank details, National Insurance number, residency eligibility information, education, employment, course information, and income details.

Sensitive personal information we process can include medical information for assessing Disability Support.

What happens to your information?

When applying for student funding you supply us with personal information in support of your application. This personal information may be used in a number of ways:

  • Assessing eligibility and entitlement to funding
  • Prevention or detection of crime, including fraud
  • Audit purposes
  • Statistical analysis and research
  • Improving service levels
  • Recovery of overpayments

SAAS will use your personal information to assess your application, which may be done automatically by SAAS systems or by individuals who work for SAAS. As well as assessing your application, SAAS will use your personal information to ensure payment of funding for which you are eligible.

If you fail to provide all the information required to assess an application for support you may not get the funding you are entitled to; if you knowingly provide incorrect information you could be investigated and reported for fraud.

Individual Rights

Data protection legislation provides data subjects with certain rights including the right to access; the right to rectification; the right to erasure; the right to restrict processing; the right to object and rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.
If you are not satisfied with a request you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Further information can be found in the full SAAS Student Privacy Statement.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site. The cookies we use do not access your computer to obtain personal information and they do not collect information that could identify you.

The SAAS website and online services uses cookies to:

  • Make sure our website works properly;
  • Collect data about the use of our website, including the number of visitors and how frequently pages are viewed;
  • To ensure the secure function of the SAAS online service;
  • To remember your preferences and make the website easier to use.

Please follow this link for our full cookie statement.

Fraud statement

Prevention, Detection, Investigation and Reporting of Crime

SAAS is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and to this end will use the information you have provided on this form for the prevention and detection of fraud. We will also share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes.

For further information, see the http://www.saas.gov.uk/fraud_prevention/national_fraud_initiative.htm or contact the SAAS National Fraud Initiative Key Contact at: SAAS Counter Fraud Team, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3UT or by email SAASCFT@gov.scot.

Fraud Prevention Agency Fair Processing Notice

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with fraud prevention agencies who will use it to prevent fraud and money-laundering and to verify your identity.

If fraud is detected, you could be refused further funding from SAAS and certain services, finance or employment from other organisations.

You can also obtain a copy of the full fair processing notice by writing to us at: SAAS Counter Fraud Team, Saughton House, Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3UT or by email SAASCFT@gov.scot. This will include further details on your data protection rights and how your information will used by us and these fraud prevention agencies.

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