Access to Information
Data Protection
Highlands & Islands Fire & Rescue Service (HIFRS) may hold personal
information about you. The Service believes it is very important to treat personal
information lawfully and correctly, and u
nder the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) you have rights to be informed and to see
what information is held about you.
Information about you may be recorded in several ways. For example, in a
personal file, in a project file or on a computer information database.
All systems are treated confidentially and are kept in a secure
manner.
To ask for access to personal information held about you please contact the Service
by:
-
Writing, or telephoning the Administration Manager, Highlands & Islands Fire & Rescue Service, 16 Harbour Road, Inverness IV1 1TB, Tel: 01462 227000 to request a Subject Access Request form, or
-
Downloading and completing a Subject Access Request Form and posting it to the Administration Manager at Highlands & Islands Fire & Rescue Service, 16 Harbour Road, Inverness IV1 1TB.
To confirm your identity, and to ensure your personal information is
safeguarded, we need to see a copy of a document that shows your full name and current
address, such as a passport, driving licence, utility bill or bank statement. Please DO NOT
send original documents – a photocopy will be acceptable.
On receiving your completed Subject Access Request Form, HIFRS
will:
-
Acknowledge receipt of your request within 10 days
-
Contact you if any more information or clarification is required from you in order to respond to your request
-
Respond to your request in writing within 40 days.
You will get access to all information held about you within the Service, both
manually and computerised subject to DPA exemptions. T
he Service has a retention policy and unless there are Legal reasons for keeping
information, the Service will destroy information with agreed guidelines.
If you believe that your personal information has not been processed in accordance
with the DPA you have the right to ask the Information Commissioner to assess whether the DPA has
been contravened.
You can find out more about the Data Protection Act on the website of the UK
Information Commissioner at
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk