Getting the Hang of Data Protection

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by Rebecca Elliott, Solicitor

For a long time I have found that very few people really understand the implications and requirements of Data Protection Legislation and simply add it in to agreements because they have to.

This week after some work with our Data Protection Officer, Nicola, it finally clicked into place for me as to exactly why we are insisting on the certain requirements in, what seems like, everything  we do.

And the answer… well its really just common sense so I wanted to share this.

Data Protection in the context of the Data Protection Act 2018 relates to personal data, so anything that identifies a person e.g. name, address, date of birth, address, email address.

When this is collected from someone that person will be aware of the reasons they are providing the information (or at least they should be).  For example, they are signing up for a course and need to provide their email address so that course materials can be sent over or their phone number so that if there is a change of venue this can be communicated.

It is not necessary to go into this level of detail so long as the person providing the data knows that it will be used to facilitate the course they are signing up to.

Further, it might not be appropriate to go through this sort of detail in a phone call or enquiry email so the person (the data subject) can be referred to a Privacy Statement.

Privacy statements are documents that explain exactly how data will be used and how long it will be kept for.  This might include if the information is going to be passed on to third parties.  These are often found on an organisations website as links can easily be provided.

So, carrying on with the example of signing up for a course, the person or the organisation providing the course may not be doing this themselves, they may be using an independent 3rd party expert to present the course.  It may therefore be necessary for participant’s names, email addresses and contact numbers to be passed on.  And this is fine, as long as the data subject was aware of this at the time they gave their details.

The third party will then become either a Data Processor or a Data Controller in their own right of that data.

A Data Processor only uses the data as specifically told.  For example if they are told that they can email out course materials then they can but they should not use the email address for any other purposes e.g. requesting feedback on the course.

If however you do wish to pass the discretion to use the personal data as they see fit then that third party will become a data controller.  They send whatever they see fit to the email addresses without your direct say so.

As a Data Controller the third party must ensure that they abide by the Data Protection Legislation and will be liable in their own right for any data breaches.  Just because they have the discretion to use the data as they see fit, it must still be compliant with the data protection legislation.

However, again, if you are passing on Data to a third party to act as a Data Controller you must have made the data subject aware that you would be doing this when you collect their Data.  This reinforces the need for a comprehensive and robust privacy statement.

So whenever you are going to be collecting and handling people’s personal data always think carefully about why and how you wish to use this data and make sure the correct safeguards are in place.  Data Protection Legislation is not in place to make life difficult nor discourage the use and sharing of data, rather to make sure it is handled in the right way whenever it is used or shared.

If you have any questions about Data Protection do not hesitate to contact our Data Protection Officer on dpo@nwleicestershire.gov.uk

Top Tips for Statement Writing in Civil Proceedings for Local Authority Officers

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  1. Witness statements should be written in the first person.
  2. Witness statements should follow the chronological sequence of the events.
  3. Witness statements should be divided into numbered paragraphs.
  4. Each paragraph should, as far as possible, be confined to a distinct portion of the subject.
  5. Witness statements must state:
    1. the full name of the witness;
    2. the address at which he or she works;
    3. the position he or she holds;
    4. the name of his or her employer; and
    5. that he or she is the employee of a party to the proceedings (and which party that is).
  6. Include details of how long the current position has been held.
  7. Also include details of any previous positions held, provided these are relevant, for example if you have been the Licensing Team Manager for 2 years but prior to that you were a Licensing Officer for 15 years this would be relevant.
  8. Include details of any other relevant experience and/or qualifications.
  9. Witness statements must indicate:
    1. which statements in it are made from the witness’s own knowledge and which are matters of information or belief, and
    2. the source of any matters of information or belief.
  10. All numbers, including dates, should be expressed in figures.
  11. If you need to be authorised to take certain action (for example serve a notice, enter property etc.) a copy of your authorisation document should be exhibited to your statement.
  12. Each exhibit should be identified, using the initials of the person making the statement, numbered consecutively within the statement and be in bold, for example ‘KW1’.
  13. Any documents referred to, for example, letters, photographs, notices etc. should be exhibited, unless exhibited to a colleague’s statement.
  14. Where a witness refers to an exhibit or exhibits, he or she should state ‘I refer to the (description of exhibit) marked ‘…’’.
  15. Witness statements must be verified by a statement of truth, the wording of which is as follows “I believe that the facts stated in this witness statement are true. I understand that proceedings for contempt of court may be brought against anyone who makes, or causes to be made, a false statement in a document verified by a statement of truth without an honest belief in its truth.”
  16. Where a witness makes more than one witness statement to which there are exhibits, in the same proceedings, the numbering of the exhibits should run consecutively throughout and not start again with each witness statement.
  17. Exhibits should be preceded by a cover page.
  18. The pages of a witness statements should be numbered consecutively.
  19. The last page of a witness statement should not include the statement of truth or signature alone. The last page should include the last paragraph of the statement along with the statement of truth and signature.
  20. Witness statements should be signed and dated – the date should be the date on which the statement is signed.

If you need any support with witness statement writing, please do not hesitate to contact us at legal@nwleicestershire.gov.uk