Equalities Information

Why Do We Need to Collect this Data?

As a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) in Scotland, Angus Housing Association Limited (AHA) is regulated by the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR). The SHR require all RSLs in Scotland to collect equality data. There are nine ‘protected characteristics’ defined under the Equality Act 2010. Of the nine, eight also constitute ‘special category data’ as defined within the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. The legislation makes it clear as to how and why this data might be collected and used.

The Scottish Housing Register require RSLs to collect equality data for:

• New Tenants
• Existing Tenants
• People on Waiting Lists
• Governing Body Members
• Staff (including job applicants)

AHA have been developing a comprehensive equality since 2020 which we began implementing from September 2022. As well as a new equality policy and equality action plan, we have developed other detailed procedures to ensure effective equality impact assessments of organisational services. An equality impact assessment involves assessing our policies, procedures and related documentation so that they comply with equality law and associated guidance.

A very important procedure that we have been developing is our equality data collection procedure. This is the procedure that we would like to explain so you are aware of present developments.

Equality data collection procedure

The following sections explain the following issues:-

• Regulatory context;
• Staff procedures;
• New equality data collection forms;
• Starting to collect equality data; and
• Implications for tenants.

Regulatory context

The SHR requires social landlords in Scotland to collect equality data as part of their commitment to mainstream equality objectives throughout organisational services. The data that we are required to collect relates to the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010. We are to collect equality data for several groups; one being our tenants.

Our staff procedures

Our staff will be collecting equality data in line with our new equality data collection procedures. You should note that these procedures are regulated by our data protection processes.

This means that we:

• only collect equality data if we are entitled to do so;
• process data securely and confidentially, as appropriate;
• restrict access to equality data*;
• only collect data if we have clear reasons or purposes for doing so;
• update information in ways agreed with you; and;
• destroy such data in line with our data retention schedule.

* Only staff who need to know this information in support of their employed function within AHA will have access to your information.