Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how are automated decision-making systems used in relation to civil service employment, including recruitment, performance management, discipline and allocation of work.

The UK’s data protection legislation does not lay down specific rules regarding particular employment systems. It is for each organisation to determine how it applies the data protection framework in its operational context. Where individuals are subject to significant decisions based solely on automated processing, the legislation provides safeguards including rights to information, challenge and human intervention.

In the Cabinet Office, no automated decision-making systems are used in relation to:

• Recruitment;

• Performance management (for both delegated and Senior Civil Service grades);

• Discipline; or

• The allocation of work.