Data protection

Any information you provide to the Commission will be held securely and in accordance with the rules on data protection.

Your personal details will be treated as private and confidential and safeguarded, and will not be disclosed to anyone not connected to the Commission unless you have agreed to its release, or in certain circumstances where:

• we are legally obliged to do so
• it is necessary for the proper discharge of our statutory functions
• it is necessary to disclose this information in compliance with our function as regulator of charities where it is in the public interest to do so.

We will ensure that any disclosure made for this purpose is proportionate, considers your right to privacy and is dealt with fairly and lawfully.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 regulates the use of “personal data”, which is essentially any information, whether kept in computer or paper files, about identifiable, living individuals. As a “data controller” under the Act, the Commission must comply with its requirements.

Subject access is one of the main rights of data protection legislation. It gives people the right to access their personal information.

This means that an individual can ask the Commission to tell them about any personal information we hold about them, and to provide them with a copy of that information. This is known as a subject access request.

Once we receive a subject access request, we must reply, in writing, within one calendar month. In our reply, we must confirm whether or not we hold the information and either provide the information requested or explain why it is not being provided.

The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) enforces and oversees data protection legislation.  Further information about the Act, including how to make a subject access request, is available on the ICO's website: www.ico.org.uk.

To submit a subject access request to the Commission, please make your request in writing to the Commission's Freedom of Information Officer using the contact details below:

Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, 
257 Lough Road 
Lurgan 
Craigavon 
BT66 6NQ

Alternatively, you can submit your request electronically using our online subject access request form:

Please note that you will need  to supply proof of your identity when submitting a request. Identification examples include:

• a photocopy of the identification pages of your current passport
• a photocopy of a current photo driving licence
• a copy of a current utilities bill, or credit card or bank statement which shows your address.

This identification information will be returned to you if requested; otherwise it will be securely destroyed once we no longer need it.

It is helpful if you can give us any information to help narrow the search, such as specific personal information you are looking for or which part of the Commission you have had contact with.