The Credit Union (Modernisation and Reform) Public Consultation

We will summarise all responses received and place this summary on the Department for the Economy website. This will include a list of the organisations that responded but will not include people’s personal names, addresses or other contact details.

Information provided in response to this consultation, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure under access to information legislation (primarily the Data Protection Act 2018; the General Data Protection Regulation 2018; Freedom of Information Act 2000; and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004). 

For this reason, you should identify in your response any information which you do not wish to be disclosed and explain why this is the case. Please note that an automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the Department.

If we receive a request for disclosure of this information we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. 

For further information about how we process your personal data, please see our Privacy Notice below.

Data Controller Name:     Department for the Economy

Business Area:                Employment Relations Better Business

Address:                          Adelaide House, Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8FD

Telephone:                      02890416728

Email:                              DfEcreditunionconsultation@economy-ni.gov.uk

Why are you processing my personal information?

The Department for the Economy is initiating a consultation to inform and further develop a range of policies relating to credit unions. The results and feedback gained through this consultation will inform potential future amendments to the legislative framework.

The information we collect from you will inform and further develop this policy.

The lawful basis for processing your personal data is that of public task in accordance with:

• Section 8 and Paragraph 6 of Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act 2018;
• Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR (the processing is necessary to perform a task in the public interest or for your official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law; and
• Article 9(2)(g) of the UK GDPR (processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest).

What categories of personal data are you processing?

Your name, e-mail address, and employment status.

As part of the consultation response, you will be asked if you are responding as an individual or on behalf of an organisation. This includes trade unions, but we will not ask you if you are a member of a trade union.

The consultation will also enable you to provide additional information in support or clarification of your response, this may include special category data e.g. personal health information, religious or philosophical beliefs, or political opinions etc., however, please note this information is not a requirement.

Where do you get my personal data from?

You will provide us with your personal data when responding to the public consultation.

Do you share my personal data with anyone else?

No. DfE is, however, using the following data processor to help it deliver this consultation: Digital Transformation Services (DTS) within the Department of Finance. There is a contract in place to ensure that DTS do not do anything with your personal information unless we have instructed them to do it.

We may choose to take excerpts and examples from comments that are made in the additional comments text box which will be provided in the consultation. You are not required to provide further information in this box or any personal information. If you choose to make additional comments, including personal information, where it is possible to anonymise this information for publication in the Departmental Response, we will do so. Where this is not possible, this information will not be included in the Departmental response.

In some circumstances, DfE is legally obliged to share information, for example with the PSNI. We might also share information with regulatory bodies, for example, NI Audit Office, in order to further their, or our, objectives. In any scenario, DfE will satisfy itself that it has a lawful basis on which to share the information and document it’s decision-making.

If you are responding on behalf of an organisation, unless you request otherwise, we will include the name of the organisation in an annex to the Departmental response to the consultation – we will not share your name.

In any event if we need to share outside of the above it will only be after a thorough data protection assessment to ensure that this is fully compliant with data protection law.

Do you transfer my personal data to other countries?

No. Your personal data will not be transferred to other countries.

How long do you keep my personal data?

We will retain your data for a period of 5 years in line with the Department for the Economy Retention and Disposal Schedule after which time it will be destroyed securely.

What rights do I have?

• You have the right to obtain confirmation that your data is being processed, and access to your personal data
• You are entitled to have personal data rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete
• You have the right to ‘block’ or suppress processing of personal data, 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

If these rights are applicable and you wish to exercise these please email DPO@economy-ni.gov.uk

How do I complain if I am not happy?

If you are unhappy with any aspect of this privacy notice, or how your personal information is being processed, please contact the Department’s Data Protection Officer at DPO@economy-ni.gov.uk    

If you are still not happy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Contact details of the ICO are available at https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/  

Consultation process

If you have any complaints about the consultation process (as opposed to comments about the issues which are the subject of the consultation) please address them to: DfEcreditunionconsultation@economy-ni.gov.uk or to the Departmental Complaints Officer at DfEmail@economy-ni.gov.uk. Details of the Department’s Complaint Process can be found at Customer Service Complaints Procedure.