Privacy statement by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science

This privacy statement explains how the Ministry deals with personal data.

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Processing personal data

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is committed to protecting personal data and takes the utmost care to ensure that all data is handled securely. The processing of personal data has a valid legal basis that stems from the performance of public-law tasks by or on behalf of government ministers, compliance with legal obligations and the implementation of agreements.

The Minister of Education, Culture and Science is the data controller referred to in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when it comes to the processing of personal data by the Ministry and the services and agencies that fall under its authority: the Education Executive Agency (DUO), the National Archives, the Information and Heritage Inespectorate, the Inspectorate of Education, the Cultural Heritage Inspectorate, the Advisory Council for Science and Technology Policy, the Education Council of the Netherlands and the Council for Culture. The Minister can delegate his or her responsibilities and tasks.

Personal data is processed only when necessary.  Data is processed only to achieve the specific purpose for which it was collected. The Ministry never processes more personal data than is necessary. If possible it processes less data or none at all.

Personal data is processed in accordance with the applicable legislation, including the GDPR, the GDPR implementing act, and any other applicable legislation, such as the Public Records Act, the Government Information (Public Access) Act and the Education Inspection Act.

Data sharing

The Ministry’s performance of its statutory tasks may require it to share personal data with other organisations. This may be another government ministry, a municipality or a sector-specific organisation. This is always done in accordance with a valid legal basis. In addition, the Ministry makes agreements and takes measures to ensure a reliable, fair and careful data-sharing process. The same applies to the sharing of data with other countries. Personal data is never shared with third parties for commercial purposes.

Information about data processing

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is transparent about, and keeps individuals informed about, the processing of their personal data. In certain cases, the Ministry will not in principle inform you about the processing of your data – for example, if you provided the data to the Ministry yourself; if you already know what personal data of yours the Ministry possesses; or if the size of the group concerned is so large that it would cost an unreasonable amount of time and resources to contact everyone individually.

Protecting personal data

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science ensures that the data in its possession is protected appropriately, in accordance with the applicable legal requirements and guidelines.

Retention period for personal data

The Ministry retains personal data for no longer than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was processed, than is required under the Public Records Act or than otherwise determined by law. Personal data that is no longer needed or required is destroyed.

Individual rights

If the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science processes your personal data, you have a number of rights.

You can ask the Ministry for access to your processed data or request that your data be rectified, erased, restricted or moved. You can also object to your personal data being processed. You can submit your request or objection by emailing vragenoveravg@minfin.nl.

In order to verify your identity you may be asked to provide a copy of a valid form of ID. You can read about how to make a secure copy on Rijksoverheid.nl. You may also be asked to specify your request in more detail.

Data protection officer

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has a data protection officer whose tasks and competences are regulated by the Ministerial order on the supervisory powers of the data protection officer of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

Data Protection Officer (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science) Ewald Nijenhuis: fg@minocw.nl.

Data Protection Officer (DUO) Aramis Jean Pierre: fg@duo.nl.

Changes to this privacy statement

The Ministry reserves the right to amend this privacy statement at any time and for any reason. The most current version of this statement can be found on the Ministry's website: www.minocw.nl (in Dutch).

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy statement or you wish to lodge a complaint, please contact the Ministry at dienstpostbusavg@minocw.nl. You can also lodge a complaint with the national supervisory body, the Data Protection Authority.