On 28 September 2020, a legal duty to self-isolate came into force for people who have tested positive for Covid-19 or who have been told to self-isolate by NHS test and trace.
To support people who are self-isolating, a support payment scheme has been introduced under which a one-off payment of £500 or access to a discretionary fund will be available for eligible individuals.
This privacy notice is to make it easier to understand and provide you with more information about how Leeds City Council will process your data, where required, with Public Health England, Department of Work and Pensions and HM Revenues and Customs as part of the Test and Trace support payment scheme.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has commissioned NHS Test and Trace on behalf of the government and is the data controller for the purposes of providing Test and Trace data to Leeds City Council.
Leeds City Council are the data controller for the purposes of assessing eligibility, administering and making payments under the Test and Trace support scheme.
What personal data is being collected
We only collect and share the minimum amount of personal information required when providing you with assistance and support. This includes:
- information about you, this could include your name, address, date of birth, contact information
- national identifiers such as NHS test and trace identifier, National Insurance number
- financial information such as your benefit entitlements, bank details
- employment status, including employer information
- physical or mental health details such as if you have been asked to isolate, the start date and end date of your isolation
We get most of this information from you, but we may also get some of this data from other central government agencies.
How we will use the information we hold about you
Leeds City Council will process your data primarily to carry out 3 main pre-payment checks. These are to verify that each applicant:
- has been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace
- is employed or self-employed and will lose income because they cannot work from home
- is receiving one of the benefits in the eligibility criteria
What is the lawful basis for processing your personal data
We must have a legal basis to process your personal data. Where we use your information to confirm that you are eligible for a self-isolation payment, the sections of the law that apply are:
- UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) 'processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller'
- UK GDPR Article 9(2)(b) 'processing is necessary for the purposes of carrying out the obligations and exercising specific rights of the controller or of the data subject in the field of employment and social security and social protection law' and the processing is necessary under the Data Protection Act 2018 Schedule 1 Part 1 paragraph 1
- UK GDPR Article 9(2)(i) 'processing is necessary for reasons of public interest in the area of public health, such as protecting against serious cross-border threats to health or ensuring high standards of quality and safety of healthcare' and the processing is necessary under the Data Protection Act 2018 Schedule 1 Part 1 paragraph 3
Who will your information be shared with
Sometimes we may need to share your information, but we will only do so where it is necessary or required by law. We will only share the minimum information for each circumstance, including:
- HMRC for tax and National Insurance purposes
- Department of Health and Social care regarding the outcome of your application and to help understand public health implications
- Your employer for verification checks purposes
How long will my personal data be retained by the council
We will only keep your personal data for as long as it is needed for the purposes of the COVID-19 emergency, and for audit and payment purposes.
Changes to this privacy notice
We keep our privacy notice under regular review, and we will make new versions available on our privacy notice page on our website. This privacy notice was last updated on 16 October 2020.
