Appointment details

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons

Summary

• Organisation: His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons
• Sponsor department: Ministry of Justice
• Location: London
• Sectors: Judicial, Prisons & Policing
• Skills: Change Management, Legal, Judicial, Regulation
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Time commitment: 37 hour(s) per week
• Remuneration: £144,000 to £144,000 per annum
• Length of term: 3 years
• Application deadline: 11:55pm on 10 June 2026

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   12 May 2026

2. Application deadline

   11:55pm on 10 June 2026

3. Sifting date

   29 June 2026

4. Interviews expected to end on

   6 August 2026

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction from the Minister

Introduction from the Rt Hon David Lammy, Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Thank you for your interest in the role of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP). The Chief Inspector leads His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, an independent inspectorate sponsored by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

This is a challenging and pivotal time to take on the role. Independent, evidence-based scrutiny of our prisons is vital as we work to repair the system and rebuild public confidence – protecting the public while reducing reoffending. HMCIP plays a crucial role in identifying and promoting understanding of both long-term, systemic challenges, such as population pressures and an ageing estate, and emerging risks to which the system must respond.

With the publication of the Independent Sentencing Review and the related Sentencing Act 2026, we are implementing reforms to make the system more sustainable and reduce future pressure on the prison population, while continuing to focus on reducing crime. HMCIP will play a key role in holding government, and those responsible for places of detention – including prisons, young offender institutions, secure training centres, immigration detention, court custody and military detention – to account for their operation. It will ensure that evidence of improvement in outcomes for those in custody remains at the heart of the system, while also shining a light on where further change is needed.

I am seeking to appoint a leader who can independently scrutinise the conditions and treatment of prisoners and other detainees, ensuring that detention is humane, safe, and supports effective rehabilitation and reintegration into the community.

We are looking for an outstanding organisational leader with strong communication skills, who can work collaboratively with senior leaders and engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including prisoners and detainees. The role requires independence of judgement, credibility, and the confidence to operate in a highly visible and often challenging public environment.

We encourage applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, who can bring fresh thinking to the role. A genuine commitment to improving outcomes for prisoners, other detainees, and the public is essential.

Appointment description

The Chief Inspector is the independent head of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) and its public voice. This is a high-profile national leadership role, combining organisational leadership with external scrutiny, influence, and accountability.

The Chief Inspector leads an organisation whose findings can have immediate and significant impact on public debate, policy direction, and operational practice across the custodial system. The role requires operating at the interface between government, the justice system, and the public, often in high-profile and sensitive contexts.

Reporting to Ministers, the Chief Inspector must act with clear independence from government and from the services under inspection. The role demands the confidence and judgement to provide robust, evidence-based challenge, including where this may be publicly visible or politically sensitive.

The Chief Inspector is responsible not only for setting the strategic direction and performance of the Inspectorate, but also for ensuring that its work maintains credibility, authority, and impact. This includes acting as a trusted and authoritative voice in the media and in Parliament and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders across the system.

The role requires a leader who can combine independence with influence: able to hold the system to account while maintaining constructive and effective working relationships with ministers, senior officials, and operational leaders.

Key Responsibilities

Inspection and Scrutiny

• Deliver an independent inspection programme across prisons, young offender institutions, immigration detention, court custody, and other places of detention.
• Assess outcomes for detainees against HMIP’s expectations, grounded in international human rights standards.
• Oversee thematic inspections and Independent Reviews of Progress (follow-up visits to check on progress).
• Fulfil the UK’s obligations under Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) within the Inspectorate’s remit.

Public Accountability and Influence

• Publish authoritative, evidence-based inspection reports.
• Act as the public voice of the Inspectorate, including regular engagement with national media and Parliament.
• Provide evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees and contribute to policy discussions.
• Hold government and system leaders to account, while maintaining constructive and credible relationships.
• Work collaboratively with other criminal justice inspectorates through the Criminal Justice Joint Inspection programme.

Organisational Leadership

• Provide effective leadership of HMIP, including strategy, performance, culture, and capability.
• Ensure the Inspectorate continues to evolve, maintaining credibility and relevance in a changing environment.
• Lead through change where required to strengthen governance, efficiency, and impact.
• Ensure effective stewardship of public resources.

Organisation description

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) reports to Ministers but is independent of Government and the services under its scrutiny.

HMIP has a duty to report on conditions for and treatment of those in prisons, young offender institutions, secure training centres, immigration detention facilities, court custody suites, customs custody facilities and military detention in England and Wales.

Regulation of appointment

This post is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. For more information, please refer to the Commissioner’s website 

Person specification

Essential criteria

Knowledge and insight

• A clear understanding of the work, priorities and challenges of HMIP and the context within which it operates, or the ability to develop this rapidly.
• An understanding of the prison system, custodial environments, or closely related sectors, including key operational and systemic challenges, or the ability to develop this understanding rapidly in a complex public service environment.

Leadership

• Proven track record of leading complex organisations, functions, or systems at a senior level, managing resources appropriately.
• Ability to set strategic direction, drive performance, and lead teams in demanding environments.
• Ability to make sound, evidence-based decisions in complex and high-profile settings.

Experience and delivery

• Experience operating in complex, high-profile environments with accountability for delivery, people, and resources.

Communication and public credibility

• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to operate credibly in the media and public domain.
• Ability to present complex and sensitive findings with clarity, authority, and impact.

Stakeholder engagement

• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including ministers, senior officials, practitioners, and those with lived experience.
• Ability to engage stakeholders collaboratively and with constructive challenge.

Desirable criteria

• Experience within or alongside the criminal justice system (e.g., prisons, policing, probation, youth justice).
• Experience engaging with political and media stakeholders in high-profile contexts.

Application and selection process

About this appointment

Some public appointments are made by the Prime Minister, or the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Others are made by Secretaries of State or other ministers and are of interest to the Prime Minister.

Public appointments made by or of interest to the Prime Minister

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

• equality information
• information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues
• a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• a supporting statement
• a short professional biography 

Your CV and Supporting Statement should be submitted to Russell Reynolds - responses@russellreynolds.com, quoting reference number P2604-063L. The Russell Reynolds equivalent advert for the role can be found here

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate. 

AI must not be used to provide misleading information. While technology can be used in your application, for example to assist with structure, we value authenticity, and advisory assessment panels will use the interview stage to verify the originality of your statements.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.

If you need to contact Russell Reynolds you can email responses@russellreynolds.com, quoting reference number P2604-063L.

Guidance for those applying for an MoJ Public Appointment

When applying for a public appointment, you may need to include:

1. 1.      Your CV
2. 2.      A Supporting Statement or other supporting medium

This guidance provides helpful tips about drafting these documents. There is no official or ‘correct way’ to draft your CV or supporting statement, this is simply a guide that you may wish to refer to or use as a template.

CV

Here are a few pointers to keep in mind whilst writing or updating your CV:

·      Please write your name at the top. An initial paragraph giving a short, factual career biography would be helpful.

·      Font should be Arial – no less than size 11.

·      Your CV should not exceed 2 pages. We appreciate this may be a challenge and your achievements could spread across several pages. However, please understand that the panel may have many applications to assess so brevity would be appreciated.

·      Avoid spelling and grammatical errors. Check that spacing is uniform across the document,

·      Use an up-to-date CV. Outline your current and most recent roles, including dates of the positions you have held.

·      Avoid big blocks of solid text. Using bullet points will help those reading the CV.

·      Always explain, on first citation, what acronyms represent.

·      Only include key information. The panel do not need to know about your hobbies unless they specifically match the criteria of the role you are applying for. Personal details including name, address, phone number & email address should be included.

Supporting Statement or other supporting medium

Your supporting statement/medium is a key opportunity to demonstrate your suitability for the role and how your experience, skills and abilities meet the role criteria.

·      The supporting statement should not exceed two pages.

·      Font should be Arial – no less than size 11.

·      Please tailor your supporting statement to the role for which you are applying.  Generic statements make it more difficult for panels to match your evidence to the role criteria.  Using the essential criteria as headings can be helpful.   For example:

o   Relationship building: ability to build strong stakeholder relationships, including with Ministers and Senior Government officials and external stakeholders.  You would provide a paragraph using evidence from your current role or from recent examples of how you have demonstrated the ability to build strong and effective stakeholder relationships. You would then link this work of the body you are seeking to join and how your experience and ability directly benefit the body. There are two models that you may find useful in drafting your supporting statement/medium. In both cases specific examples, rather than assertions, are required.

o   The WHO Model – What was your personal role? How you did it? And what was the Outcome? placing emphasis on the successful outcome.

o   The STAR approach – Situation: briefly describe the context and your role, Task: the specific challenge, task or job that you faced, Action: what you did, how and why you did it and Result: what you achieved through your actions.

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

The assessment process

1. Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.

2. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

4. Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

7. Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

8. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

Chair: Emma Churchil – Director General Policy, Ministry of Justice

Wendy Williams (CBE)

Paula McDonald (CBE) – Senior Independent Panel Member

All Panel members are not politically active.

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Pre-appointment scrutiny

Pre-appointment scrutiny by select committees is an important part of the process for some of the most significant public appointments made by Ministers. It is designed to provide an added level of scrutiny to verify that the recruitment meets the principles set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments. This scrutiny may involve the relevant select committee requesting and reviewing information from the Department and the Minister’s preferred candidate. The select committee may also choose to hold a pre-appointment hearing.

If you are confirmed as the government’s preferred candidate for this role, the department will be in touch to confirm next steps. In most cases your name and CV will be provided to the relevant select committee in advance of the hearing.  Following a date being agreed for a pre-appointment hearing with the committee you will be asked to complete a questionnaire in advance of that. Following the hearing, the government will review and respond to the Committee’s report before confirming the appointment. 

Full information can be found in the Cabinet Office’s guidance here. 

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)

If you need further advice, please contact publicappointmentsteam@justice.gov.uk

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake a DBS check and should be prepared to undertake vetting up to DV level.  Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve and this is an important part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘essential criteria', we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert. When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

• ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
• making adaptations to interview locations;
• allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
• giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
• allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
• making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 

• any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
• any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
• and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Remuneration for this role is treated as employment income and will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid. 

You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. However these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid. 

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

If you have a complaint about any aspect of the way your application has been handled, we would like to hear from you. In the first instance please write to or e-mail the Public Appointments Team at the e-mail address given below quoting the appropriate reference number.

Maggie Garrett, Ministry of Justice, Head of the Public Appointments Team, Public Bodies,Centre of Expertise, Ministry of Justice:  

OR

Alexandra Morton, Ministry of Justice, Head of the Public Appointments Team, ALB Centre of Expertise, Ministry of Justice:  

PublicAppointmentsTeam@justice.gov.uk

Complaints must be received by the Public Appointments Team within 12 calendar months of the issue or the closure of the recruitment competition, whichever is the later.

We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days of receipt and reply within 20 working days of receipt. We will tell you if we cannot meet this deadline for any reason and provide an expected reply date.

How to complain to Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA)

If you are not content with the appointing department’s response you may wish to further complain to the Commissioner at publicappointments@csc.gov.uk.Further information on how the Commissioner handles complaints can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ website https://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/regulating-appointments/investigating-complaints/

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

In accordance with the Public Appointments Order in Council 2019(4)(5), we will process your application in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Ministry of Justice’s Information Charter, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/personal-information-charter. 

We will hold your data securely and access will be restricted to those dealing with your application or involved in the recruitment process. We will share your data with the Commissioner for Public Appointments and other relevant government departments, including the Cabinet Office, as part of a complaint investigation or review of the recruitment process. Cabinet Office will handle data in accordance with their Privacy Notice https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/privacy-notice.   Your data may also be disclosed as required by law or in connection with legal proceedings. 

We will store your data for up to two years and processed for the purpose of the recruitment process, diversity monitoring and, if successful, your personal record. If appointed, your data will be stored for the duration of your tenure and may be shared with the organisation to which you are appointed, unless you specifically request us not to.  

Should you wish your data to be removed from our records, please contact publicappointmentsteam@Justice.gov.uk

Privacy Notice: Public Appointments

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is committed to the protection and security of your personal information.

It is important that you read this notice so that you are aware of how and why we are using such information. This privacy notice describes how we collect and use personal information during and after your relationship with us, in accordance with data protection law.

MoJ is the data controller for the personal data used for the purposes of making public appointments.

The type of personal data we process

We currently collect and use the following information:

• Name;
• Contact details;
• Employment history and qualifications
• Curriculum vitae and other background information relevant to your application, including sift and interview assessments made by the advisory assessment panel;
• Information you provide on interests relevant to the role you are applying for;
• Political activity;

·      Health information as required to facilitate access and participation in events (e.g. venue access and dietary requirements).

·      Due Diligence checks;

• As part of the recruitment process, for those candidates being invited to interview, the Department will undertake due diligence checks to assess their suitability for the role, including (alongside consideration of their own declaration of relevant interests) evidence of their conduct and/or professional capacity as demonstrated by information about them in the public domain.

How we get your personal data and why we have it

We receive most of your personal data through your application and declaration form.

We also gather personal information indirectly, from various sources as part of the due diligence checks. This will include, for examples:

• your public social media activity, including searches on sites such as LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook
• Searches for any relevant news stories
• The Electoral Register (http://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/)  

·      Companies House (https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/)

·      The Insolvency Register website (https://www.gov.uk/search-bankruptcy-insolvency-register)   

In submitting your application you acknowledge that such due diligence will be undertaken in respect of you and that copies of search results may be saved, stored securely, and used as part of the recruitment process in line with this privacy notice. Processing of such data is necessary to protect the reputation of the Department. Candidates may be asked about their public profiles/search results, at interview. 

We process your personal data for the purposes of making public appointments in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. More information about this work is available from the Commissioner for Public Appointments' website.

Where we need to share your personal data with others, we ensure that this data sharing complies with data protection legislation. For the purposes of this work we may need to share your personal information with:

·      The Cabinet Office

·      The Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on for processing your personal information is:

·      Performance of a public task.

The legal bases on which the MoJ processes special categories of information you have provided, is on the basis of:

·      The substantial public interest in the Secretary of State appointing suitable candidates to the role. substantial public interest condition.

International Data Transfers

The Ministry of Justice and the Cabinet Office will not transfer data internationally, but the recruitment consultants engaged for this campaign - Russell Reynolds Associates - will transfer data internationally. Their Privacy Notice can be found here.

How we store your personal data

If you are successful in an application and appointed we will hold your data for three years from date appointment ends and then delete.

If you are unsuccessful in your application your data will be held for two years from end of campaign and then deleted.

Your Rights

• Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
• Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
• Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to object to processing - You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

·      Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

Depending on the lawful basis on which your personal data is being processed, not all rights will apply.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you If you wish to exercise your data protection rights please contact:

Disclosure Team

Post point 10.38

102 Petty France

London

SW1H 9AJ

data.access@justice.gov.uk

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, you can contact the MoJ data protection officer;

Data Protection Officer

Ministry of Justice

5th Floor, Post Point 5.18

102 Petty France

London

SW1H 9AJ

dpo@justice.gov.uk

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk

Contact details

If you need further advice, please contact publicappointmentsteam@justice.gov.uk