The CIPD has been calling for greater clarification over data protection recruitment and selection code of practice. It has long been an advocate of the need for good practice by employers as regards their use of employee personal data and allowing staff access to their personal files, unless this would prejudice a third party or criminal investigation.
Diane Sinclair, adviser on employee relations at the CIPD, said: "While we welcome the guidance on the Data Protection Act in relation to recruitment and selection, the code is still not clear about what is necessary to comply with the law and what, in the information commissioner’s view, is good practice.
"The code is intended to be used by all organisations, both large and small. It is likely that it would have had a bigger impact if it had been more concise, and therefore more user friendly. This is only the first of four parts of the code, so employers have a lot to get to grips with. We urge the Information Commissioner to make the remaining three parts of the code clearer to employers."
