Information

Data Protection

The Act

The 1998 Data Protection Act came into force early in 1999 and covers how information about living identifiable persons is used.  The Act is mandatory.  ALL organisations that hold or process personal data MUST comply.

The Data Protection Act contains eight Data Protection Principles. These state that all data must be:

• Processed fairly and lawfully;

• Obtained & used only for specified and lawful purposes;

• Adequate, relevant and not excessive;

• Accurate, and where necessary, kept up to date;

• Kept for no longer than necessary;

• Processed in accordance with the individuals rights;

• Kept secure;

• Transferred only to countries that offer adequate protection.

The Fund is required to comply the above data protection principles, and other requirements of the Data Protection Act, including maintaining personal data in secure conditions and processing and disclosing data only within the terms of its Data Protection notification.

Processing Your Personal Data

The Fund holds data about you obtained from your project application form.  It holds data in electronic and paper form on your personal details, your organisation, relevant funding transactions and photographic images. This information is necessary for administrative purposes while you a currently funded project.  Examples of how your information will be used are as follows:

• To administer your project records

• To administer the financial aspects of your project (eg payment of claims).

• To produce Fund or Landfill Tax Credit Scheme statistics

• To produce marketing/promotional materials for the Fund

Processing personal information for the above purposes is necessary for the operation of the Fund as a funding body. Although under the Data Protection Act an individual can request that such processing should not occur, in practice this would mean that the individual could not continue as a named project manager, since the Fund would be unable to carry out its basic operations.  However, the Fund is able to offer individuals some choices about the way their data will be used:

• Whether or not photographic images can be used for marketing and promotional materials for the Fund.

• Whether you are happy for the Fund to release your contact details to a limited number of organisations which work with the Fund on a non-commercial basis.

• Whether you are happy for us to pass your contact details and details of your project to the media.

Access to Personal Information

The Data Protection Act provides individuals with a right of access to their personal data under certain conditions and subject to a number of exemptions.

If you wish to exercise your right under the Act, please would you contact the Fund Manager at the following email address:andyrowett@lancsenvfund.org.uk or by phoning 01772 317249.  Requests for specific information can be processed much faster than general requests.

Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you have the right to a copy of the data held about you.  For a copy please contact the Fund’s Administrator on 01772 317247, e mail general@lancsenvfund.org.uk  write to The Fund Manager,  Lancashire Environmental Fund, The Barn, Berkeley Drive, Bamber Bridge, Preston, PR5 6BY

We try to keep the information we have about you accurate and up-to-date. If however, you find errors or inaccuracies in your data, we will erase, complete or amend that information upon request.

Archiving Your Personal Data

In due course, your records will be kept within the Fund’s archive on computer and in paper format.

Disposal of Personal Data

The Fund monitors funded projects for five years after completion date and keeps paper records of all projects for seven years.   To date the Fund’s database hold records of all project applications.  Once a disposal date is reached records will be destroyed in an appropriate manner.