Data Protection
Perth & Kinross Council collects and uses personal
information on a daily basis to help it to fulfill its objectives
and provide effective services. The personal information we
collect can relate to anybody who comes into contact with the
Council; including citizens, pupils, service users and
employees.
There are eight Data Protection principles which Perth &
Kinross Council must adhere to, which require that personal data
shall:-
- be obtained and processed fairly and lawfully and shall not
be processed unless certain conditions are met;
- be obtained for a specified and lawful purpose and shall not be
processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose;
- be adequate, relevant and not excessive for those
purposes;
- be accurate and kept up-to-date;
- not be kept for longer than is necessary;
- be processed in accordance with the data subject's rights;
- be kept safe from unauthorised access, accidental loss or
destruction;
- not be transferred to a country outside the EEA (the EU member
states, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), unless that
country has adequate levels of protection for personal data
Compliance with the Data Protection Act
To ensure that we process and handle personal information
properly, the Council endeavors to comply with the Data Protection
Act 1998 ("DPA").
The files in the Downloads section on the right hand side of this
page provide some examples of the steps the Council takes to comply
with the DPA.
Access to Your Information
Under the DPA, you have a right to find out what information the
Council holds about you - this is known as a Subject Access Request
("SAR"). We require:
- Proof of your identification (preferably driving licence or
passport, but a utility bill or similar correspondence will suffice
if this is not possible)
- Payment of a £10 processing fee (cheque or postal order
made payable to Perth & Kinross Council)
- A description of the information you are looking for
Following receipt of all documentation, you will receive a
response to your request within the statutory 40 days
timeframe.
Applications should be made to:
Data Protection Officer
Perth & Kinross Council
2 High Street
Perth
PH1 5PH
Email: dataprotection@pkc.gov.uk
Information Commissioner
The Act is governed by the Information Commissioner's Office
(ICO). The ICO is an independent authority set up to uphold
information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by
public bodies and data privacy for individuals.
If you have any concerns about how you data has been / is being
processed, you should contact the Council's Data Protection Officer
in the first instance using the details supplied above. If
you remain dissatisfied, you are entitled to make your
representations to the ICO.
Data Matching
This Council is required by law to protect the public funds it
administers. It may share information provided to it with other
bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in
order to prevent and detect fraud.
On behalf of the Accounts Commission, Audit Scotland appoints the
auditor to audit the accounts of this authority. It is also
responsible for carrying out data matching exercises.
Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one body
against other computer records held by the same or another body to
see how far they match. This is usually personal information.
Computerised data matching allows potentially fraudulent claims and
payments to be identified but the inclusion of personal data within
a data matching exercise does not mean that any specific individual
is under suspicion. Where a match is found it indicates that there
may be an inconsistency that requires further investigation. No
assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, error or other
explanation until an investigation is carried out. The exercise can
also help bodies to ensure that their records are up to date.
Audit Scotland currently requires us to participate in a data
matching exercise to assist in the prevention and detection of
fraud. We are required to provide particular sets of data to Audit
Scotland for matching for each exercise, and these are set out in
Audit Scotland’s instructions, which can be found at: http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/work/nfi.php
The use of data by Audit Scotland in a data matching exercise is
carried out with statutory authority, normally under its powers in
Part 2A of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act
2000. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned
under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Data matching by Audit Scotland is subject to a Code of Practice.
This may also be found at: http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/work/nfi.php
For further information on Audit Scotland’s legal powers and
the reasons why it matches particular information, see the full
text privacy notice at: http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/work/nfi.php
or contact:
Data Protection Officer,
Perth & Kinross Council,
2 High Street,
Perth, PH1 5PH
Email dataprotection@pkc.gov.uk
