Pupil data: Learner Records's Service breach investigation

The request was partially successful.

Dear Education and Skills Funding Agency,

In January 2020, Schools Week reported that The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) had begun an investigation after betting companies were “wrongly provided access” to data from the Learners' Records Service.

Re: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/esfa-launches-...

Please can you provide a copy of the investigation findings, and treat this request for information under the FOI Act 2000.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Jen Persson

MINISTERS, Education and Skills Funding Agency

1 Attachment

Thank you for contacting the Department for Education. If you are
contacting us about coronavirus (COVID-19) you can find advice and
guidance on [1]GOV.UK. This includes [2]guidance for educational settings
in England. You can also contact our coronavirus helpline on 0800 046
8687. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and weekends 10am to
4pm.

For emails and other written enquiries you will usually receive a reply
within 15 working days. You can find out how the department processes your
personal information by reading our [3]Privacy Notice.

 

 

[4]cid:image001.jpg@01D42E43.58989C30

 

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Education and Skills Funding Agency

Dear Mrs Persson,
 
 
Thank you for your request for information, which was received on
30/12/2020. You requested:
 
 
“Dear Education and Skills Funding Agency,
 
In January 2020, Schools Week reported that The Education and Skills
Funding Agency (ESFA) had begun an investigation after betting companies
were “wrongly provided access” to data from the Learners' Records Service.
 
Re:
[1]https://schoolsweek.co.uk/esfa-launches-...
Please can you provide a copy of the investigation findings, and treat
this request for information under the FOI Act 2000.
 
 
Thank you for your consideration.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jen Persson”
 
 
 
I have dealt with your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
 
 
A copy of the information is enclosed. Please see the link below to access
the report published by the ICO following their investigation.
 

[2]Department for education audit executive summary (ico.org.uk)   
 
 
 
The information supplied to you continues to be protected by copyright.
You are free to use it for your own purposes, including for private study
and non-commercial research, and for any other purpose authorised by an
exception in current copyright law. Documents (except photographs) can be
also used in the UK without requiring permission for the purposes of news
reporting. Any other re-use, for example commercial publication, would
require the permission of the copyright holder.
 
Most documents produced by a government department or agency will be
protected by Crown Copyright. Most Crown copyright information can be
re-used under the Open Government Licence (
[3]http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o...). For
information about the OGL and about re-using Crown Copyright information
please see The National Archives website
-[4]http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/infor...
.  
Copyright in other documents may rest with a third party. For information
about obtaining permission from a third party see the Intellectual
Property Office’s website at
[5]www.ipo.gov.uk. 
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
 
If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should
make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar
months of the date of this letter.  Your complaint will be considered by
an independent review panel, who were not involved in the original
consideration of your request. 
 
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the
Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office. 
 
 
Yours Sincerely,
 
Samuel Taylor
 
Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)
 
 
 
 

References

Visible links
1. https://schoolsweek.co.uk/esfa-launches-...
2. https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-tak...
3. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o... blocked::http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o...
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/o...
4. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/infor... blocked::http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/infor...
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/infor...
5. http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ blocked::http://www.ipo.gov.uk/
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/

Dear Education and Skills Funding Agency,

having received your reply today, to my FOI request made on 30 December 2020 re Pupil data: Learner Records's Service breach investigation, please can you re-consider your response.

The online link to the executive summary of the ICO general audit of the Department for Education in 2020 does not supply the information requested, nor does it comply with your obligations under the Act to state whether the information is held and has been refused, or withheld under which sections of the Act, or if you have determined it is exempt on what grounds.

To clarify, please can you provide a copy of the ESFA investigation findings.

Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,

Jen Persson

MINISTERS, Education and Skills Funding Agency

1 Attachment

Thank you for contacting the Department for Education. If you are
contacting us about coronavirus (COVID-19) you can find advice and
guidance on [1]GOV.UK. This includes [2]guidance for educational settings
in England. You can also contact our coronavirus helpline on 0800 046
8687. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and weekends 10am to
4pm.

For emails and other written enquiries you will usually receive a reply
within 15 working days. You can find out how the department processes your
personal information by reading our [3]Privacy Notice.

 

 

[4]cid:image001.jpg@01D42E43.58989C30

 

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Education and Skills Funding Agency

 

Dear  Jen Persson 

 

Thank you for your recent enquiry which was received on 4 January.

 

A reply will be sent to you as soon as possible. For information; the
departmental standard for correspondence received is that responses should
be sent within 20 working days as you are requesting information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000. Your correspondence has been allocated
reference number 2021-0000498. 

 

Department for Education

Ministerial and Public Communications Division

Tel: 0370 000 2288

Web: 

[1]https://www.education.gov.uk
Twitter: [2]https://www.twitter.com/educationgovuk
Facebook: [3]https://www.facebook.com/educationgovuk

 

 

 

 

References

Visible links
1. https://www.education.gov.uk/
2. https://www.twitter.com/educationgovuk
3. https://www.facebook.com/educationgovuk

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Education and Skills Funding Agency

1 Attachment

Thank you for your request for information, which was received on
04/01/2021. Your request:

Dear Education and Skills Funding Agency,

having received your reply today, to my FOI request made on 30 December
2020 re Pupil data: Learner Records Service breach investigation, please
can you re-consider your response.

The online link to the executive summary of the ICO general audit of the
Department for Education in 2020 does not supply the information
requested, nor does it comply with your obligations under the Act to state
whether the information is held and has been refused, or withheld under
which sections of the Act, or if you have determined it is exempt on what
grounds.

To clarify, please can you provide a copy of the ESFA investigation
findings.

Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,

Jen Persson

I would like to apologise for the delay in responding to your request, we
will respond to the above request as soon as is possible.
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
Kind regards,

Kevin

Digital Services Portfolio
Customer Experience, Digital and Data

Education and Skills Funding Agency
Cheylesmore House, Quinton Road, Coventry CV1 2WT
Web: [1]Visit our pages on GOV.UK

 

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...

ACCOUNT, Unmonitored, Education and Skills Funding Agency

1 Attachment

Dear Jen Persson,
 
Please see attached the Department's response to you Freedom of
Information Request.
 
I apologise for the delay in issuing this response, current work pressures
have slowed down our ability to respond to these requests in a more timely
manner, which I'm sure you understand.
 
Kind regards,
 
Kevin Deasy