Personal Data Privacy Policy Statement

  • Privacy Policy Statement of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency

    The Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency (WFSFAA) is committed to ensuring that all personal data collected are handled in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486).

  • Kinds of Personal Data Held

    Two broad categories of personal data are held by the Agency. They are -

    1. Operation-related personal data, which include personal data of individuals (including family members/indemnifier(s)/witness(es) of the individuals) who are applicants for various financial assistance and/or scholarships and merit award schemes administered by WFSFAA. These records are kept by different Sections for handling of issues related to student financial assistance, scholarship and merit award schemes, e.g. the processing of applications for and provision of grants/loans and the repayment of student loans, etc. The scope of data kept on data subjects will vary depending on the type of services/assistance being sought or provided. The kinds of personal data held may include personal and family particulars, details of study, employment and offices held, details of income, expenditure, assets and liabilities of the applicants and his/her family members; and

    2. Employment-related personal data of staff (civil servants and non-civil service contract staff), as well as the candidates applying for appointments, which include job applications and staff personal details, job particulars, details of salary, payments, benefits, leave and training records, mandatory provident fund schemes participation, performance appraisals, and disciplinary matters, etc.

  • Main Purposes of keeping Personal Data

    Personal data held in:

    1. Operation-related personal data are kept for the purposes of processing application, handling enquiries and complaints, processing objections and appeals, authenticating application, notifying result of applications, recovering overpayment and defaulted student loans, reviewing decision, compiling statistics, and conducting research, etc.; and

    2. Employment-related personal data of staff as well as candidates applying for appointment are kept for performing human resource management functions, including appointment, promotion, training, posting, employment benefits, discipline and termination, performance management and staff relations, etc.

  • Retention

    The Agency maintains and executes retention policies of records containing personal data to ensure personal data is not kept longer than is necessary for the fulfilment of the purpose for which the data is or is to be used. Different retention periods apply to the various kinds of personal data collected and held by the Agency in accordance with the General Administrative Records Disposal Schedules (for administrative records) and Programme Records Disposal Schedules as approved by the Government Records Services.

  • Our Commitment

    The Agency undertakes to:

    1. collect adequate, but not excessive, personal data by lawful and fair means only for lawful purposes related to the WFSFAA's functions or activities;

    2. take all reasonably practicable steps to inform the person from whom personal data is collected of the purpose(s) of collection, the classes of persons to whom the data may be transferred to, his/her rights to request access to and correction of the personal data, and the name and address of the person to whom requests for access and correction may be made (a Personal Information Collection Statement is adopted for this purpose);

    3. take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that the personal data collected or retained are accurate, having regard to the purposes for which they are to be used;

    4. take all reasonably practicable steps to erase personal data which are no longer necessary for the purposes for which they are to be used;

    5. use the personal data collected only for purposes or directly related purposes for which the data were to be used at the time of collection, unless express consent has been given for the use of personal data for other purposes;

    6. take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that personal data are protected against unauthorized or accidental access, processing, erasure or other use;

    7. take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that a person can be informed of the kinds of personal data that the WFSFAA holds and the purposes for which the data are to be used; and

    8. permit persons to access and correct personal data of which they are the data subject and process any such access/correction requests in a manner permitted or required by law.

  • You can find out more about the operation of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance at the Website of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data.