Diversity Data Policy

1. The name of the Diversity Data Officer is Holly Rust.

Collection of Diversity Data

2. Members of chambers’ workforce are given the opportunity to provide their Diversity Data for collection in accordance with the Bar Standards Board’s requirements. The Diversity Data Officer is responsible for arranging and supervising the collection of Diversity Data.

Why Diversity Data is collected

3. Individuals have the opportunity to provide their Diversity Data in order for Devon Chambers to publish an anonymous summary of such data. This provides transparency concerning recruiting and employment activities across chambers and analysis of diversity data encourages a strong, diverse and effective legal profession. Please note: You are not obliged to provide your Diversity Data. You are free to provide all, some or none of your Diversity Data.

How Diversity Data is collected

4. Diversity Data will be collected through the BSB template questionnaire. This will be emailed to members and clerks, who will have the opportunity to complete a hard or electronic copy of the form. Completed questionnaires can be handed in hard-copy to Chambers, or emailed to the data diversity officer, who will print all questionnaires before reviewing them all together, anonymously.

5. You will be asked 2 consent questions which you must answer if you wish to provide your Diversity Data.

Keeping Diversity Data secure

6. All Diversity Data that is collected from individuals will be kept securely. The Diversity Data Officer will print all anonymised forms (as long as consent has been provided) and delete anything that identifies individuals. These forms will be kept in Chambers.

7. The Diversity Data Officer will not share Diversity Data with any third parties.

8. Should you access or disclose Diversity Data accidentally or intentionally when you are not authorised to do so, you must notify the Diversity Data Officer immediately.

Anonymising Diversity Data

9. The Diversity Data Officer is required to anonymise Diversity Data before publishing it in summary form.

Publication of the anonymised summary of Diversity Data

10. Where there are fewer than 10 (ten) individuals within each published category who identify through the questionnaire with the same diversity characteristic (for example, 4 (four) individuals with a job role at the same level of seniority identify themselves as disabled), the Diversity Data Officer will not publish the anonymous data relating to those individuals unless it has their informed consent to do so.

Destruction of Diversity Data

11. The Diversity Data Officer will securely destroy the Diversity Data collected promptly after the Data has been anonymised and in any event within 3 (three) months following the date of collection. Secure destruction means that as far as possible we shall not hold the Diversity Data in any way where it is possible to identify an individual. In practice this will involve deleting emails and keeping only the raw data from the anonymised forms.

12. Anonymised data will be kept for 12 months before being destroyed as above. You have a right to withdraw your consent or object to the use of your Diversity Data at any time.

13 . Where your data has already provided and you wish to withdraw your consent to its use, please notify the Diversity Data Officer in writing. They will promptly delete or destroy any Diversity Data which includes your personal data and will confirm to you that this step has been taken within 21 days of receiving notification from you.

14 . Where the anonymised data has been published in summary form, the Diversity Data Officer will not extract your personal data from the published summary unless it is likely that continued publication could cause you or someone else substantial damage or distress. In such circumstances, the Diversity Data Officer will consider the reasons you have put forward and shall respond within 21 days from the date you notify him/her of your belief to let you know whether he/she has determined that the continued publication of the data is justified and, if not, to confirm the action taken to extract your data from the published summary and to delete or destroy any copies.

15. Should you have any questions or complaints about this Diversity Data Policy, please contact the Diversity Data Officer.