Data Protection Act

The Data Protection Act gives individuals the right to know what information is held about them. It provides a framework to ensure that personal information is handled properly.

The Act works in two ways. Firstly, it states that anyone who processes personal information must comply with eight principles, which make sure that personal information is:

• fairly and lawfully processed
• processed for limited purposes
• adequate, relevant and not excessive
• accurate and up to date
• not kept for longer than is necessary
• processed in line with your rights
• secure
• not transferred to other countries without adequate protection.

The second area covered by the Act provides individuals with important rights, including the right to find out what personal information is held on computer and most paper records.

Should an individual feel they're being denied access to personal information or feel their information has not been handled according to the eight principles, they can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for help. Complaints are usually dealt with informally, but if this isn't possible, enforcement action can be taken.

The full text of the Act is available from the Office of Public Sector Information.