Request access to your data (subject access request)

To make an access request under the Data Protection Act 2018, you should contact us at the details below.

Please note, since the establishment of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), we have had a shared services arrangement with the Department of Education. The Department of Education will manage and coordinate your request. This will have no effect on your ability to access your records according to your rights.

Please tell us exactly what information you want to access. To help you and to guide us, please complete and send us our subject access request (SAR) application form.

You may be asked to submit a copy of:

• photographic identification, such as a passport or driver’s licence
• a recent utility bill or official letter

This is because we must be sure of your identity before releasing any personal information to you.

You can email or post copies of your proof of identity to us. We’ll only be able to start processing your request once we receive this information.

We’ll respond to your data access request within one month. We’ll usually send you our response by email or by post.

In some cases, the data protection acts limit your right to access your personal information. For example, if the information:

• is kept for the purpose of preventing, detecting or investigating criminal offences, where allowing access would be likely to interfere with these activities
• would be subject to legal professional privilege in court
• consists of an opinion about you given in confidence by another person (subject to certain conditions)

The department does not have to accept your access request if it would result in disclosing data about another person. That other person must consent to the disclosure first.

So if we have a record that contains your personal data and another person’s data, this will limit what data we can give you. We’ll give you as much of the information as we can, without identifying the other person.

You can find more information on your rights on the Data Protection Commissioner’s website.

The website also explains how to submit a complaint to the Data Protection Commissioner, if you’re not satisfied with our response to your request.

Read our data protection notice.

If you would like to make a request for information under freedom of information legislation, please see our freedom of information request page.

See the differences between freedom of information and data protection.