Data Protection - Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this data being collected?

• Collecting consultation data will enable the University to identify and address the equality, diversity, and inclusion needs of its staff and colleagues in a meaningful and effective manner. 
• Under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Act 2014 and Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty, all public higher education institutions must undertake equality assessment and monitoring. This is in addition to having policies and plans to promote equality, prevent discrimination, and protect the human rights of staff, students, and the wider public served by the work of the higher education institution.
• The University is committed to conducting a comprehensive all-staff  EDI consultation every two years to build on the evidence base and inform policy and positive interventions (4.2.ii of the UCC Strategic Plan 2023-2028; EDI Framework Action Plan, 2.11).
• Athena Swan (AS) accreditation is a key action in the University and EDI strategic plans. It is an eligibility criterion for the University to apply for research funding to SFI and IRC. Reporting of the intersection of gender and ethnicity is a data requirement for Athena Swan institutional and school applications (Silver level). A large section of the survey is used to satisfy the data requirements of AS applications at both the school/unit and the institution levels.
• Section 48 (2) of the “Disability Act” 2005 requires public bodies to collect data on employees with disabilities on an annual basis. In accordance with subsection (7) of the Act, UCC is required to report to the National Disability Authority (NDA) and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research and Science (DFHERIS) on the number of people with a disability employed during each preceding year, and other data points (e.g., accommodations, training or work placement available).

Read more about EDI Data Collection and Monitoring.

What data is being collected?

The 'Values and Culture' EDI staff survey is divided into six main parts:

• Demographic Data: to capture the diversity of our staff, we collect data across all nine equality grounds as defined in the Equal Status Acts 2000-2018 (‘the Acts’). Visit EDI Data Collection and Monitoring for more details. We also collect data about your role in UCC.
• Values and Culture Data: we ask questions about institutional and local (School/Unit) culture and values.
• Career Progression: questions about recruitment, induction, promotions, training, progress reviews, workload allocation, etc., are asked to evaluate relevant staff experience and practice across the University.
• Working Life at UCC: we ask about typical working and meeting practices, as well as work-life balance. 
• Negative Behaviour: to identify areas for improvement, we ask staff to report experience or witnessing of discrimination, bullying, harassment and violence, as well as views on reporting structures available.
• EDI at UCC: the final set of questions aims to evaluate engagement with EDI training, Athena Swan and identify future priorities.

All the above information is required for anonymised diversity reporting, monitoring and analysis. Contact ediunit@ucc.ie should you want to access the full question bank for the survey. 

How is my data going to be protected?

• The University takes the security and integrity of all the personal data it holds very seriously.  
• To ensure that confidentiality is not inadvertently compromised, the University anonymises all data and never reports on small numbers that could identify individuals (even for Freedom of Information requests).
• Confidentiality by default means that no names, IP or e-mail addresses are collected, and data is further redacted and/or aggregated if there is a risk of identifying individuals or small groups.
• Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) and Data Protection Notice (DPN),as well as the Social Research Ethics Committee (SREC) approvals are sought and secured before the data collection at each iteration of the consultation.

If you have any concerns regarding how your personal data is being processed, please contact the EDI Unit at ediunit@ucc.ie as your first point of contact.  You also have a right to report any concerns you have in relation to the processing of your personal data by the EDI Unit to gdpr@ucc.ie, or infocompliance@ucc.ie

Who has access to this information?

There are strict laws in place to ensure the University protects your details and handles them responsibly.  Only selected members of the EDI Unit will have access to the raw (i.e. not fully anonymised) data on an “as needed” basis:

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Data Analyst (data access, analysis and report writing)
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Director (general oversight)
• Athena Swan Project Officer (Athena Swan data processing)
• Research Assistant (if applicable, the assistant will be supporting various tasks under supervision) 

Read the Data Protection Notice for full detail.

How is my data going to be used?

Following are the main steps in data processing:

• Qualtrics is used the recommended data collection tool.
• Datasets will be downloaded into UCC-owned cloud environment (SharePoint and OneDrive) and analysed on password-protected, UCC-owned computers.
• Summary data reports will be produced for purposes as identified in the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) and the Data Protection Notice .

Infographic below illustrates the steps in the data processing why the data reports are needed.

Under no circumstances will individual data, or data that could identify a person, be used in any report.

How is this information stored?

Your data will be handled with the utmost confidentiality.  All the information disclosed by staff is stored in line with all the relevant Data Protection legislation and UCC Data Protection Policies and can only be accessed by the selected small number of the EDI Unit team staff, as outlined above.

The EDI Unit will retain anonymised statistical data (in the form of e.g. reports) for as long as necessary to fulfil the legal purposes for which it has been collected.

Do I have to participate?

No. Your participation is voluntary. 

Any data you choose to submit via the 2026 “Values and Culture” EDI Staff Survey, as well as during the EDI Gathering events (2026, 2027), and Athena Swan focus groups (2026-2028), will be deemed to have been processed with your explicit and informed consent.

Please note that consent may only be withdrawn up to the point at which the data has been collated with that of other participants for the purpose of producing statistics/a report, or within 10 working days after the submission of your survey responses, or after participating in the EDI Gathering events, and up to two working days after participating in Athena Swan focus groups. 

Are there any negative consequences predicted?

No. We do not anticipate any negative consequences from participating. The survey lists supports available should you needed them. Focus groups will be organised and facilitated in a confidential manner, and a list of supports will also be made available.

You can contact ediunit@ucc.ie anytime if you have questions or concerns about the consultation or your data.