External examiners and external verifiers: Taught programmes

Information you need to know

Liverpool John Moores University is the Data Controller. See further information on the institution.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

This privacy notice explains how we use your personal information and your rights regarding that information.

For information about how the wider university uses personal data please see the Privacy notice section of our website.

Information we are collecting

To enable the university to manage external examining and external verifier activity in line with the Academic Framework Regulations and Office for Students requirements, and in order to align with national regulatory requirements (for example, the requirements of the UKVI or Inland Revenue), LJMU collects and processes the following types of personal data:

Personal and contact details

This includes your:

  • title
  • full name
  • work address
  • telephone number and email address for correspondence

We also collect your home address and email address where required for administrative purposes, including payment of fees and expenses.

Financial information

Your bank account and sort code details are collected to enable payment of fees and reimbursement of expenses.

Identity and eligibility information

We collect information to confirm your eligibility to work in the UK, including your residency or citizenship status. This may include passport details or other proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

Date of birth, National Insurance number and identification records

These details are collected where necessary to establish your identity, support compliance with legal obligations, and enable access to university systems, including the creation of a staff account and ID card. A photograph may also be collected for identification purposes.

Professional information

This includes your Curriculum Vitae, covering your current role, employment history, areas of teaching or research, and educational background, to support assessment of your suitability for appointment and ongoing compliance with institutional and sector requirements.

IT system and event participation data

Where you attend online briefing sessions or meetings, your name and university username may be used to give you access to relevant systems and Microsoft Teams sessions.

Equality and diversity information (voluntary)

You may be invited to provide equality and diversity information on an anonymous and voluntary basis, including information about:

  • disability
  • ethnic background
  • nationality
  • sex
  • gender identity
  • religion
  • marriage or civil partnership status
  • sexual orientation
  • caring responsibilities

This information is collected for monitoring and reporting purposes only and is not used to identify individuals.

Source of the personal data

We collect personal data primarily from you throughout your engagement with the university. This includes information you provide during the nomination process, such as your Curriculum Vitae and documents to confirm your eligibility to work in the UK.

Additional information is collected following appointment, including details required to create your university IT account and provide access to relevant systems. Personal data is also obtained when you present documentation to verify your eligibility to work in the UK, submit fee or expense claims, or provide a photograph for identification purposes.

Where required, proof of eligibility documentation may be provided electronically or shared with the nominating programme leader for verification. You may also choose to provide information through the university’s annual Equality and Diversity Survey, which is completed voluntarily and anonymously.

In some cases, we collect personal data about you indirectly. This includes information provided as part of the external examiner or external verifier nomination process, where a nominating programme leader or link tutor submits your details using information from your Curriculum Vitae.

Why we are collecting your data and the legal basis for this

We process personal data in accordance with the principles of the GDPR and only where there is a valid lawful basis to do so.

The lawful bases we rely on are Article 6(1)(b), where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract, and Article 6(1)(e), where processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. This enables the university to consider and confirm your appointment as an external examiner or external verifier, to support you in carrying out your role, and to administer payments and expenses.

We use your personal data to assess your suitability for appointment, including consideration of nominations and potential conflicts of interest. We also process your data to meet legal and regulatory obligations, including requirements relating to your eligibility to work in the UK and compliance with relevant higher education regulatory bodies.

During your engagement, we use your data to support the delivery and administration of your role, including maintaining records of appointments and ensuring ongoing compliance with institutional and sector requirements, such as the Academic Framework Regulations and Office for Students expectations. We also use your data to manage payments, including the processing of fees and reimbursement of legitimate expenses.

In addition, we may use your data to communicate with you in relation to your role, including providing updates, guidance and information relevant to your engagement. Where you choose to provide equality and diversity information, this is used in an anonymous and aggregated form to support monitoring, reporting and the university’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Who has access to this data

Your personal data will be accessed only by authorised members of staff where this is necessary to support your appointment and ongoing engagement with the university. This may include:

  • nominating programme teams
  • Heads of Department or Directors of School (or their nominees)
  • Academic Registry
  • Faculty administrative offices
  • Boards of Examiners
  • senior staff involved in quality assurance processes, including the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience)
  • the university’s Finance, IT Services and Human Resources departments

Your name, current place of work and the programmes you are associated with will be available to university staff via the secure WebHub system.

In line with sector expectations, your name, role and institution or workplace will also be shared with students through programme documentation, such as programme guides. If a student contacts you directly, you should refer the query to the relevant Programme Leader.

Your external examiner or external verifier reports are stored securely within university systems, including WebHub and Academic Registry repositories. These reports are shared with relevant staff as part of the university’s quality assurance processes, including programme teams and Heads of Department or Directors of School. They may also be shared with students through appropriate channels, such as programme SharePoint sites and Boards of Study.

Your personal data may be shared with external organisations where necessary to meet legal, regulatory and professional requirements. These may include:

  • law enforcement agencies
  • taxation and immigration authorities, including UK Visas and Immigration
  • the Office for Students
  • Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs), or their representatives, for accreditation and monitoring purposes

This may include:

  • your name
  • role
  • institutional affiliation
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • your reports
  • the university’s responses where relevant

Where you are involved in collaborative provision with partner institutions outside the UK, your information may be shared with designated contacts at those organisations, in accordance with contractual arrangements and appropriate safeguards.

If you participate in online briefing sessions, your name and university username will be visible to other participants. Any contributions you make using chat functions will also be visible to others in that session.

Anonymous equality and diversity data is reported only in aggregated form for monitoring and reporting purposes.

The university may also share your data with trusted third-party providers where necessary to administer payments and expenses. From 1 April 2025, payments to external examiners are managed by Dataplan, who process personal data on the university’s behalf.

How the university protects your data

We are committed to keeping your personal data safe in line with data protection legislation and the university’s information security and data protection policies.

Data relating to nomination, engagement and administrative management of active engagements

Your personal data is stored securely by Academic Registry in restricted-access files and systems, including secure University platforms such as MS Teams (External Examiner Panel area) and LJMU WebHub. Access is limited to authorised staff who require it to carry out their role, and is controlled and monitored to prevent unauthorised access, loss or misuse.

Any original documents provided are stored securely on University premises and returned to you via secure recorded delivery.

Data relating to fee and expenses claims

Your personal data (including name, address and bank details) is stored securely in electronic systems managed by Academic Registry, the university’s Finance department, or trusted third-party providers. Access is restricted to authorised personnel only, and appropriate technical and organisational measures are in place to protect your information.

Where third-party providers are used, they are subject to due diligence checks and contractual obligations to ensure your data remains secure.

All equality and diversity data collected through the annual survey is anonymised and stored securely. It is only used in aggregated form for monitoring and reporting purposes.

How long the university keeps your data

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting and reporting requirements. Personal data is retained in line with the university’s Retention of Records Schedule.

Data relating to nomination, appointment and management of engagement

Where a nomination is not approved, nomination data is retained for a limited period to allow for administrative review and decision-making, after which it is securely deleted.

Where a nomination is approved, personal data relating to your appointment and engagement is retained for the duration of your engagement and for a further five years following the end of your engagement, after which it is securely deleted.

Data relating to fee and expenses claims

This data is held electronically by the university’s Finance department and by Academic Registry, or by trusted contracted third parties. Electronic records held by the university are retained for seven years from the date of submission, after which they are securely deleted.

Academic Registry retains redacted copies of fee and expense claim forms (with personal identifiers such as home address, date of birth and bank details removed) to support ongoing enquiries. These records are also retained for seven years from the date of submission, after which they are securely deleted.

Data relating to IT account creation and system access

Data used to create and manage your university IT account is held securely by Academic Registry, Human Resources and within the Staff Infobase HR system. This information is retained for the duration of your engagement (normally four years) and for a further seven years following the end of your tenure, after which it is securely deleted.

Data relating to online briefing sessions

Where you participate in briefing sessions delivered via Microsoft Teams, limited personal data (such as your name, university email address and any contributions made within chat functions) may remain within the system. This data is linked to your university IT account and is only visible to participants of the relevant session.

Equality and diversity data

Equality and diversity information is collected anonymously. Individual responses are retained until superseded by the next annual collection cycle. Aggregated data is retained for the reporting year and for a further five years.

Your rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

  • access and obtain a copy of your data on request - this could be in a portable electronic format
  • request that the university changes incorrect or incomplete data if you think that it is inaccurate or out of date
  • request that the university delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary or legally required for the purposes of processing

If your personal data has been provided by consent, you have a right to withdraw that consent at any time.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact the Data Protection Officer at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

If you do not provide data

We need to collect certain personal data from you in order to meet our legal and regulatory obligations and to enable you to undertake your role with the university. Providing this information is a requirement of your engagement. If you do not provide the necessary information, we may be unable to appoint you or enable you to carry out your duties, which may affect your ongoing engagement with the university.

The only exception to this is equality and diversity information, which is collected on a voluntary and anonymous basis. Providing this information is entirely optional and will not affect your appointment or engagement in any way.

Transfers of data outside the UK

We normally keep your personal data within the UK. In some cases, however, we may need to transfer it to another country - for example, to deliver a contract with you or to work with a partner organisation such as a university based overseas.

Whenever this happens, we make sure your information stays protected. This could be through a UK “adequacy regulation” (which confirms that the other country’s data protection laws are up to UK standards) or by putting strong safeguards in place.

These safeguards might include:

  • model contractual clauses
  • formal data sharing or processing agreements
  • binding corporate rules

In short, even if your data travels abroad, it will continue to be treated with the same care and respect as it would under UK law.

Automated decision-making

We do not use computers to make decisions about you based solely on your personal data. Any decisions that affect you will always be made by a human, ensuring that you are treated fairly.

How to complain to the university

You have a right to complain to the university if you think it has not properly responded to your request for personal information or feel it has not handled your personal data responsibly.

If you are not satisfied with how your request for information or how your personal data has been handled, you should set out your complaint in writing to:

Maria Burquest
University Secretary and General Counsel
Legal and Governance Services
2nd Floor Exchange Station
Tithebarn Street
Liverpool
L2 2QP

or by email via DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

How to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

You have the right to complain to The Information Commissioner if you believe that our processing of your personal data does not meet our data protection obligations. The Information Commissioner can be contacted using the following details:

  • Post: Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK95AF.
  • Telephone: 0303 123 1113.
  • Email: contact can be made by accessing the ICO website.