Privacy Notice: Research Programme on Socio-Economics of Inland Fisheries
Under Data Protection legislation every person has a right to know how an organisation handles their personal data. This Privacy Notice sets out what personal data we obtain from you, how we process it, and what your rights are in relation to it.
The Economic and Social Research Institute is an independent research institute that works towards a vision of ‘Informed policy for a better Ireland’. The ESRI seeks to support sustainable economic growth and social progress in Ireland by providing a robust knowledge base capable of providing effective solutions to public policy challenges. Research is carried out across a number of key policy areas including Energy, Environment, Health and Quality of Life. More information is available here.
The ESRI was established in 1960 and our legal status is that of a company limited by guarantee, governed by a membership base and an elected Council (Board). The majority of our funding is from public sector sources such as a Government grant-in-aid and publicly funded research programmes, and so on that basis we are also governed according to many of the rules that apply to state organisations. More information is available in the About Us section of our website.
The research programme on socio-economics of inland fisheries aims to provide evidence to support policy decisions surrounding the management of inland fishery resources and angling within Ireland. The programme is funded by Inland Fisheries Ireland.
Our general contact details are as follows:
ESRI, Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin D02K138
Tel: 01 863 2000; Email: admin@esri.ie
Data protection queries can be sent to DataProtection@esri.ie or by phone to Rachel Joyce at 01 863 2009
Legislation: The Data Protection laws being referred to in this notice are the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). The GDPR is the European-level regulation and the DPA the national-level. Both were enacted in May 2018, superseding previous legislation.
Personal data: means information that identifies a person. It can include a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or one or more factors specific to an individual’s physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity.
Special categories of personal data: mean data revealing a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, data concerning a person’s health, sex life or sexual orientation.
Under data protection legislation, an organisation must have a legal grounds (called a ‘lawful basis’) to process personal data. There are a set number of valid grounds prescribed in the GDPR for both standard personal data and special category data, and our processing of your personal data must be underpinned by at least one of these conditions.
When the ESRI is carrying out research, our legal grounds are as follows:
Personal: Article 6.(1).f. Legitimate Interests
Our Legitimate Interest is to carry out research to inform public policy and wider society. Underpinning our research analyses are high-quality, representative and detailed data sources. To this end we will frequently carry out social and economic surveys that require processing of personal data.
Special Category: Article 9.(2).(j). Processing is necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1)
Our core function is to carry out scientific and statistical research, subject to the highest standards of academic rigour and integrity.
The data processed as part of this research programme are used to inform research on the socio-economics of inland fisheries and is funded by Inland Fisheries Ireland. Data are collected from a voluntary angler panel through monthly and other occasional online surveys.
In this context ‘personal data’ refers to direct identifiers such as your name and email address but also your responses to the surveys while they are linked in some form to your name/email. As is standard research practice, direct identifiers will be stored separately to survey response data but linked via a code or specific-purpose ID. This form of data storage is called pseudonymisation. Data will be retained in this form while the research is ongoing or where the same respondents will be contacted again for follow-up surveys, which will facilitate research on evolving trends and causal impacts over time. Once direct identifiers are deleted and it is not possible to link to or identify a person in the survey response file, the dataset will be considered anonymised.
The following provides more detail on the process for this study.
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ESRI Angler Panel |
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The panel is made up of those that have volunteered to participate in our angling-related surveys. We maintain a database containing your name and email address for the purpose of issuing invitations to participate in online surveys about recreational angling. Panel membership is voluntary and you may rescind membership at any time, at which point we would delete your details from the panel.
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Monthly Angling Activity Survey |
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ESRI Angler Panel members are invited to participate in a monthly survey about angling activities. If you agree to participate, each month you are sent an email inviting you to participate in an online survey about your angling activities in the previous month. The survey collects data on gender, socio-demographic information, income, expenditure and fishing activity. Over time this generates a time-series panel dataset which allows us to observe angling activity trends over time, and investigate how factors such as fishing regulations, or catch rates impact on angling effort. A unique token (a 15-character alpha-numeric code) is assigned to each respondent to maintain the timeseries nature of the data (rather than using name or email address). The online survey platform we use is Lime Survey. We have a Data Protection agreement in place with the provider setting out their security protocols and where data are hosted (within the EU). Once the survey is complete, data are downloaded and stored on the internal ESRI network. Your personal data (name, email address) and assigned token value are stored separately from the survey response data (pseudonymised). We will retain this personal information for the duration that you wish to continue participating. Monthly survey invitations include opt-out links at the bottom of the email. Respondents that opt-out will have their name, email address and assigned token value deleted from the panel.
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Other occasional surveys |
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Other occasional surveys may be carried out. Again, panel members will be invited to participate through email notification. Data collected will be as with the monthly surveys: gender, socio-demographic information, income, expenditure & fishing activity. Some of these additional surveys may contain questions that are classified as special category data, specifically, data relating to the health and well-being of anglers. Specific and separate consent will be soughtin advance of collection and processing of this special category data, and participation will be entirely voluntary.
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Retention |
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As described above, respondents can request to no longer participate and be removed from the panel. All personal details (name, email address) and the unique token linking to the survey responses will be deleted. The survey response data (anonymised) will be retained for the purposes of research. Once someone’s directly personal information is deleted it’s not possible to identify them from the main dataset. Overall for this programme, when it concludes anditis decided there will be no more data collection, the file linking email address and token value will be deleted, anonymising the complete survey response dataset. At present it is intended to continue undertaking surveys indefinitely, subject to ongoing research funding. In the event of cessation of the research programme all Angler Panel members will be notified. Once data are anonymised they are not within the scope of data protection regulations and can be retained indefinitely for the purposes of future research. |
Personal data submitted as part of this research programme will not be disclosed to or accessed by any third party outside of the ESRI. Specifically, they will not be shared with Inland Fisheries Ireland.
As discussed in the previous section, to collect data and administer surveys, we use an online survey platform call Lime Survey. Data will only be accessed by ESRI personnel working directly on the survey through a secure dedicated account. Data will be hosted on the platform for a period of time but then removed and stored on our internal network.
As standard business practice, all of our data is backed up and the third-party service providers we engage for this will store a copy. These providers will not access your data. We have specific data protection agreements governing these services and ensuring upmost safeguards are in place.
We have a range of organisational and technical protocols in place to ensure we are protecting your rights and are complying fully with our statutory obligations. These include:
Data Protection Policy, Data Breach procedures, dedicated Data Protection Officer, stringent IT access control, stringent building security, staff briefing & awareness sessions on data protection.
Access to your data is restricted only to our researchers who are working directly on the project.
Under data protection legislation individuals have rights in relation to their personal data, including the following
- to be given access to their personal data
- to be informed about how an organisation processes their data
- to have any inaccurate information corrected
- to request erasure of personal information
- to request that processing of their data is restricted or to object to it
- the right to not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing
To extent to which theses requests may be granted by an organisation will depend on the lawful basis associated with the processing or the purpose.
For example, when processing is carried out for the purposes of scientific research or statistical purposes, GDPR provisions that restrictions may apply in certain circumstances provided that other safeguards are being upheld – such as pseudonymisation, data minimisation, and ultimately anonymisation. These restrictions may be invoked where facilitating the request could seriously impair the value, integrity or purpose of the research. Or it may be the case that once survey data are in aggregate/statistical form, it’s extremely difficult or even not possible to extract an individual’s data anymore.
Notwithstanding that, any data protection request or query will be fully considered by the Institute and the requester informed if and when any restrictions may apply in their circumstance.
How can I submit a Subject Access Request?
By contacting DataProtection@esri.ie or Rachel Joyce at 01 863 2009
How will the information be provided?
In electronic format unless otherwise specified by the requester.
What are the timeframes for dealing with personal data requests?
Within one month of receipt of the request and verification of identity. Extensions may be applied in some limited circumstances which will be explained to the requester should they arise.
What are the charges?
Requests are dealt with free of charge. However there may be some extenuating circumstances were charging a reasonable administration fee is permitted. e.g. where requests are considered ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’.
Right to lodge a complaint to the Supervisory Authority
Under the legislation an individual has a right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission if they consider that processing of their personal data is contrary to the GDPR.
More information is available on the website of the Data Protection Commission: https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/individuals/raising-concern-commission
Or by contacting them at:
Data Protection Commission,
21 Fitzwilliam Square South,
Dublin 2, D02 RD28