What is the Data Protection Act 1998?: The Data Protection Act 1998 is a United Kingdom law that places obligations on organisations (data controller) that use personal information on a living and identifiable individual.
Every organisation that processes personal information must notify the Information Commissioner's Office and complete a Notification Form, unless they are exempt.
Failure to notify is a criminal offence and carries a fine of up to £5,000.
Under the act each and every data controller processing personal data is expected to abide by the 8 "Data Protection Principles". These state that personal data must be:
- Processed fairly and lawfully
- Adequate, relevant and not excessive
- Obtained only specified and lawful purposes
- Accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date
- Not be kept any longer than is necessary
- Processed in accordance with the individual's rights
- Kept securely
- Not be transmitted to any other country unless protection is put in place
Data Protection Registration
£99 /pa*
The notification fee payable to the Information Commissioner is not included and is payable direct to him upon receiving the completed Notification form.
In order to maintain the registration, companies with fewer than 250 staffs pay £35 per annum and companies with 250 or more staff and a turnover of £25.9 million pay £500 per annum to the Commissioner.
* Please note that we are registered for vat. Our prices are subject to 20% vat. One off package price does not include ongoing service or maintenance; these services are available separately.
Do I need to register?
If you are processing personal data for any of the following purposes you must register under the Data Protection Act.
- Accountancy and auditing
- Administration of justice
- Advertising, marketing and public relations for others
- Canvassing political support among the electorate
- Constituency casework
- Consultancy and advisory services
- Credit referencing
- Crime prevention and prosecution of offenders (including some CCTV systems)
- Debt administration and factoring
- Education
- Health administration and provision of patient care
- Insurance administration
- Journalism and media
- Legal services
- Mortgage/insurance broking
- Pastoral care
- Pensions administration
- Personal information processed by or obtained from a credit reference agency
- Private investigation
- Property management (including the selling of property)
- Provision of childcare
- Provision of financial services and advice
- Research
- Trading and sharing in personal information
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