Privacy Notice
Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review, 2025
This
privacy notice explains how your personal data (e.g. any information that could
identify you such as name and email address) collected for the purposes of this
research will be used and handled. The Scottish Government is the “data
controller” for this study, and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the University
of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and Ipsos are the “data processors” who will
be responsible for securely storing the data you provide and analysing it, as
they will be delivering the research in partnership. You are being contacted
about this study as we have identified you as a stakeholder with a relevant
interest. A Data
Protection Impact Assessment has been completed for this project and is
available on request.
Who are we?
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) was established in 2012 through the merger of the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) with Barony, Elmwood and Oatridge Colleges. Through these institutions, we can trace our lineage back over 100 years. The Rural Policy Centre within the SRUC is a knowledge hub for rural Scotland. We engage with rural communities as well as consultants, educators and researchers across SRUC to harness the latest rural knowledge.
Ipsos is one of the best known survey organisations in the UK. It carries out research studies in the areas of social and public policy, covering topics such as sport, culture, health, science, education, crime and employment. The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is an integrated university encompassing both further and higher education, and a diverse and flexible partnership serving its communities.
We have been asked to commission this research by Scottish Ministers, to support the development of a new Rural Support Plan, following the introduction of the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill. To support this work, we are carrying out a review of the Community Led Local Development (CLLD), Scottish Rural Network (SRN) and Scottish Rural Action (SRA) programmes.
What information do we collect about you?If you agree to take part in the research, we will collect and process the following data about you:
- Contact details, including your name, address, email and telephone number;
- Demographic information including your job role and place of residence; and
- Information you give, relating to your views and opinions.
We will also ask all participants to complete a demographic survey, to ensure that a wide range of voices are included in the project. This online survey will be optional, all responses will be anonymous and you can choose to not answer any question.
What is our lawful basis for collecting and using your personal information?Participation in this research is voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time. The legal basis for processing personal data is the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.
How will we use your information?The information you provide, whether through workshop, interview, survey or focus group, will be analysed by the researcher team (led by SRUC), and anonymously summarised in publications.
Your personal information will be anonymised. This means any information that can directly identify you, such as your name or contact details, will not be included in any reports. We will share the outputs with the Research Advisory Group, which includes key stakeholders and policy officials, and Scottish Ministers to update them on research progress. We will not share not any of your personal data with these groups. Any quotes used will be anonymous. This information will be used for research purposes only and dealt with in accordance with data protection legislation.
Who will we share your information with?We will not share your personal information with any other groups. At the end of the review, the final report and accompanying outputs will be published on the Scottish Government website. The research data and any quotes will be anonymised in this report.
Will we send your information outside the UK?No, we do not transfer your information outside the UK.
How long will we store your information?For data collected in this project by Ipsos, workshop recordings will be audio only and will be saved in their secure/restricted folder area. As multiple attendees will be offering data in a conversational format , it is important to keep the recordings for longer, as important contextual information is often lost in a messier focus group/workshop transcript. Anonymised transcriptions will be produced and stored in the same system. Ipsos will share the recordings and transcriptions with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) via Ipsos Transfer, a secure file transfer system. When SRUC receive these files, they will be stored following the procedure set out below.
Recordings of interviews led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) will be through Microsoft Teams and will be stored in SRUC Onedrive folders. When an anonymised interview transcript is produced (within 3 months of the interview taking place) the original recording will be deleted. Anonymised interview transcripts will be held in SRUC Onedrive folders for up to 12 months after the project has finished.
The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) will hold raw data (interview recordings) until an anonymised transcript is created (7 days, to allow for participants to withdraw in this time), then the raw data will be deleted. UHI will transfer anonymised transcripts to SRUC and both parties will hold these for up to 12 months after the project ends.
What are my rights in relation to the information held about me?You have the right to request a copy of the personal data that we hold about you. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal data, you can find more information on how you can do this by visiting https://www.gov.scot/publications/subject-access-request-form/
We want to make sure that your personal data is accurate and up to date. You may ask us to correct or remove personal data you think is inaccurate.
Do I have a right to complain about the way information has been used?If you have any questions about the research or a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please get in touch with Jane Atterton: jane.atterton@sruc.ac.uk
You can also contact the Scottish Government contract manager: emily.harris2@gov.scot.
If this does not resolve your complaint, you can contact our Data Protection Officer by email: dataprotectionofficer@gov.scot.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint about data protection matters with the Information Commissioner's Office, who can be contacted at: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Or by phone on 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745. Visit their website for more information at: https://ico.org.uk/
