Confidentiality of Personal Information

The Data Protection Act requires that all Members of Parliament operate within the provisions of the Act and the following paragraphs give details of how I intend to meet those requirements.

I will treat as confidential any personal information that you pass onto me. I will normally allow my staff and volunteer workers to see this information so that they can find help and advice for you. In some cases I may need to give some or all of this information to agencies such as the Dept for Work and Pensions, the CSA, the local Housing Department, or to the House of Commons Library in order to obtain further information about your case.

If you give me personal information about someone else I may need to check the facts with that person. Or if you give me information about, or ask me to take action on behalf of, a friend or relative I may need to ask that person to confirm that they are happy for me to act on their behalf.

Any personal information that you pass to me will normally be recorded either on paper and/or on a computer for future reference. It will be kept only until the next general election. If you wish to see any information that I hold about you, please write to me. You have the right to see information that may be held about you either on paper or on a computer.