DfI Independent Inspectors – Privacy Notice

Data Controller:

Department for Infrastructure (DfI)
Independent Inspectors Team
James House
2 - 4 Cromac Avenue
Belfast
BT7 2JA

• Telephone: 028 9054 1058
• Email: iisupport@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

Data Protection Officer:

DfI Data Protection Officer
James House
2 - 4 Cromac Avenue
Belfast
BT7 2JA

• Email: DFIGDPR@infrastructure‐ni.gov.uk

This privacy notice sets out how the Department for Infrastructure uses and protects any information that you give when you apply for an appointment as an Independent Inspector. The Department is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected in line with the Data Protection and GDPR Regulations. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy notice.

What information we collect

We may collect the following information:

• Name and contact information, including email address; and
• Diversity monitoring information, including gender, age and community background (full list below).
• Is there anything else that may be asked as part of the security clearance / vetting process? Ongoing court cases or convictions / records etc?

What we do with the information we gather

• We require this information for the effective completion of the appointment of Independent Inspectors and for internal record keeping.
• Monitoring information is collected to help us ensure that our processes and procedures promote equality of opportunity. The information provided in this monitoring form is detached from the information on your application form, held separately and will not be available to selection panels or to anyone else involved in the selection process. The information will be used for statistical purposes only and analysed independently by staff in the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) in the strictest confidence.
• The name of any person appointed may be made available on the Departments website and/or in response to FOI requests in due course in conducting their duties.

Why are you processing my personal information?

The purpose of processing personal information is for the effective completion of our Independent Inspector appointment process;

The lawful basis for processing of the personal information is to enable the Department to appoint persons to carry out “hear and report” work on its behalf as set out in the Planning (Northern Ireland) Act 2011 and the Planning (General Development Procedure) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015.  The relevant sections of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Act 2011 are [Section 10(4)], [Section 16(4)], [Section 26(9), (10) and (11)], [Section 29(5), (6) and (7)], [Section 88(5), (6) and (7)]. [Section 114(6), (7) and (8)].  The relevant article for Planning (General Development Procedure) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 is [Article 21].

It will also be used to update the appointment database which holds: 

a) the details gathered through the appointment process of Independent Inspectors that are required to conduct independent examinations of local development plan documents, as well as public local inquiries and hearings in relation to the consideration of regionally significant and called‑in planning applications, for the Department; and 

b) equal opportunities monitoring information, which is mandatory, and details of applicants’ progress through the appointments process for analysis by Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) staff based in The Executive Office (TEO).   This will be held separately from the appointment data collected as part of the appointment process on secure Departmental systems. The information is used to research and monitor diversity in any Departmental appointments, and an anonymised composite analysis is published in an appointment’s report produced by TEO (executiveofficeni.gov.uk) which is available to the public; 

What categories of personal data are you processing?

• Name, address, e-mail address and phone number for the purposes of carrying out the appointment process. Also, educational qualifications and details of chartered / professional memberships and employment history. 
• Declaration / probity issues? 
• Bank account details for payment;
• For monitoring purposes, the categories of personal data we are interested in include: your national insurance number (to use as an anonymous tracker of your journey throughout the appointment process); your gender, date of birth; community background; disability; race; language; sexual orientation; marital status; dependants; employment history; and educational attainment.

Where do you get my personal data from?

• We gather the information through your completion of an application form and a separate monitoring form.

Do you share my personal data with anyone else?

• We share your monitoring information with the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. This information is provided in the strictest confidence and analysed independently by NISRA staff for statistical purposes only. 

How long do you keep my personal data?

• We will only retain your data in line with our Retention and Disposal Schedule which is currently five years from the appointment closure date.

What rights do I have?

• You have the right to obtain confirmation that your data is being processed, and access to your personal data
• You are entitled to have personal data rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete 
• You have a right to have personal data erased in certain circumstances
• You have the right to request the restriction or suppression of processing your personal data, in certain circumstances
• You have the right to data portability, in certain circumstances 
• You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data, in certain circumstances 
• You have rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling

How do I complain if I am not happy?

If you are unhappy with how any aspect of this privacy notice, or how your personal information is being processed, please contact the Departmental Data Protection Officer at the address above.

If you are still not happy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

• Tel: 0303 123 1113
• Email: casework@ico.org.uk
• Website: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/ 

Last updated April 2026