Personal information charter
This Information Charter sets out the standards you can expect from the Northern Ireland Office when we request or hold information (“personal data”) about you.
We will ensure that we treat all personal information in accordance with data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Personal data is information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual. This includes natural persons who can be identified directly from the information, or indirectly from that information, in combination with other information. Information about deceased persons, companies, or public authorities is not personal data.
We may need to handle personal information about you to provide better public services.
This charter explains how we look after that information.
Privacy Notice
The NIO is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy notice explains how the NIO uses information about you and the ways in which we will protect your privacy.
What information we process
The information we process includes:
- personal details
- family and social circumstances
- financial details
- education and training details
- employment, absence and leave details
We also process sensitive classes of information that include:
- physical and/or mental health
- racial or ethnic origin
- religious, or other beliefs of a similar nature
- community background
- sexual orientation
- trade union membership
- criminal offences or convictions
Why are you processing my personal information?
We handle personal information in order to comply with our legal obligations and other pension, employment and statutory equality legislation. The processing of personal information is necessary for the performance of a public task or in the exercise of official authority.
Where do you get my personal information from?
We obtain personal information directly from you when you contact us about our services. We will provide reasons for collecting personal data and advise when your consent is required for a specific purpose. Your consent must be given freely and can be withdrawn at any time by contacting the department.
Do you share my personal information with anyone else?
It may on occasions be necessary to share your personal data with other government departments and agencies to meet our legal or public function requirements, or in your vital interest.
Do you transfer my personal outside the European Union?
- Your personal information will not be transferred outside the European Union.
- Your personal data will not be used for any automated decision making.
- Your personal data will be stored in a secure government IT system.
How long do you keep my personal information?
We will keep your personal information only for as long as it is required for the lawful purpose(s) for which it was obtained and in line with our Retention and Disposal Schedules.
How we keep your personal data secure
Clerical and electronic records that contain any personal information will be held in a secure way, and will only be made available to those who have a right to see them.
We use technical and organisational measures such as:
- Encryption of our data and IT equipment
- Regular data protection training for our staff
- Regular testing of our technology
- Restricted access controls
- Physical security measures
What rights do I have?
- You have the right to obtain confirmation that your data is being processed, and access to your personal information;
- You are entitled to have personal information rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete;
- You have the right to have personal information erased and to prevent processing, in specific circumstances;
- You have the right to ‘block’ or suppress processing of personal information, in specific circumstances;
- You have the right to data portability, in specific circumstances;
- You have the right to object to the processing, in specific circumstances;
- You have rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling;
- You have the right to withdraw any consent that you have given.
- Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, you have the right to complain about how we process your personal information.
You can find out if we hold any information by making a ‘subject access request’. If we do hold information about you, we will:
- Give you a description of it;
- Tell you why we are holding it;
- Tell you who it could be disclosed to; and
- Let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible form.
To make a request to access any personal information we may hold about you, you should put the request in writing and email it to: foi@nio.gov.uk
More information can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website
How do I complain if I am not happy?
If you are unhappy with how any aspect of this privacy notice, or how personal information is being processed, please contact the NIO Data Protection Officer.
Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, you have the right to complain about how we process your personal information. If you would like to submit a complaint please email: foi@nio.gov.uk or write to us at: Erskine House 20-32 Chichester Street, Belfast, BT1 4GF and include the following details:
- Name
- Nature of complaint, and any supporting evidence or information
- Proof of photo identification
If you are submitting a complaint on behalf of someone else, please also provide:
- Power of attorney documentation; or
- A signed letter of authority from the individual you are acting on behalf of
Complaints will be acknowledged within 30 days, and you will be kept informed throughout.
If you are still not happy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113
Email: casework@ico.org.uk
https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/
Changes to this Privacy Notice
We keep our privacy notice under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated in April 2020. This page was last reviewed in July 2023.
Our Commitment to Your Personal Information
When the Northern Ireland Office collects, holds, uses, or processes your personal data, you are entitled to be told:
• The purpose for which the data is being used, and our lawful basis for processing it.
• How long we will keep your data, and who we will share it with.
• Whether it will be transferred or accessed outside the UK or EU, and what legal safeguards are in place to protect it.
• About any rights you may have, including the right to access your information, or to object to its being used.
• About your right to complain to the Information Commissioner if you feel that your personal information has been mishandled.
• How to contact NIO’s Data Protection Officer.
You are also entitled to have your personal information:
• Protected and kept secure.
• Kept accurate and up to date.
• Not used for purposes which are incompatible with those for which it was collected.
• Kept only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it was collected (unless it must be kept as part of the historic record).
We will only process the personal information we need, ensuring it is relevant and limited to those purposes. We will not make it available for commercial use (such as marketing) without your permission. We also process special category and criminal conviction personal data. This data is considered more sensitive and will only be processed in more limited circumstances, with appropriate safeguards in place, in line with data protection legislation.
You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, if that decision produces legal effects or similarly significantly affects, unless an exemption applies. For any significant decisions informed by automated systems, a human reviewer will be involved in the final determination. If you are subject to a solely automated decision, you will be informed and given a clear pathway to challenge the decision and request human intervention.
Your Responsibilities
In return, we kindly ask you to:
• Share with us accurate information.
• Tell us as soon as possible if there are any changes, such as a new address.
This helps us to keep your information reliable and up to date.
What the Northern Ireland Office uses personal information for
The Northern Ireland Office collects information for various purposes to carry out its functions and deliver public services. We handle personal information in order to comply with our legal obligations and other pension, employment and statutory equality legislation. The processing of personal information is necessary for the performance of a public task or in the exercise of official authority. While the specific information collected depends on your interaction with us, purposes may include:
• Supporting the functions of government departments.
• Administering various public services and policies.
• Communication and engagement with the public.
• Internal administration, human resources, and finance.
• Preventing and detecting crime and protecting public funds.
• Research and analysis related to our functions.
• In exceptional circumstances, we may process your information to protect you, your community, or the wider public.
Contacting Us
The Northern Ireland Office has a Data Protection Officer (DPO) who is responsible for ensuring the Northern Ireland Office is compliant with data protection legislation.
If you have any concerns about how NIO is handling your personal data or wish to exercise your rights, you may contact us at:
Email: foi@nio.gov.uk
Complaints
If you have any concerns about how the Northern Ireland Office is handling your personal data, we kindly ask you to give us the chance to try and put it right or address your concerns first, by contacting our Data Protection Officer.
Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, you have the right to complain to us about how we process your personal information. If you would like to submit a complaint please email: foi@nio.gov.uk or write to us at: Erskine House 20-32 Chichester Street, Belfast, BT1 4GF and include the following details:
- Name
- Nature of complaint, and any supporting evidence or information
- Proof of photo identification
If you are submitting a complaint on behalf of someone else, please also provide:
- Power of attorney documentation; or
- A signed letter of authority from the individual you are acting on behalf of
Complaints will be acknowledged within 30 days, and you will be kept informed throughout.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are concerned about how your data is being processed. For independent advice, you can contact the ICO at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Fax: 01625 524510
Email: icocasework@ico.org.uk
Changes to this Charter
We will update this page when our charter or policy changes. Please check this page to make sure you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and our commitment to your personal information.