I am getting closer to advertising my new skills as a bookkeeper but can someone please explain data protection, I am sure this has been covered many times but can someone please point me in the right direction as to whether I need to be covered or not, eventually I would also be offering payroll to my clients so any advise on data protection with payroll would be very much appreciated also.
Many thanks.
Lisa
-- Edited by Lisa68 on Saturday 7th of August 2010 06:13:42 PM
I did register to be on the safe side, also if anything to prove to clients that i take it seriously. It only cost £35.00 i think.
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Thank you for your advise, I guess if it is only approx. £35.00 its worth being covered I will try and look into this more, but it just seems pay-out after pay-out and now all I need is clients
The following is from the ICO (the UK Information Commissioner's Office for Data Protection): "Broadly, however, if you collect or hold information about an identifiable living individual, or if you use, disclose, retain or destroy that information, you are likely to be processing personal data. The scope of the Data Protection Act is therefore very wide as it applies to just about everything you might do with individuals personal details."
And here's the next sentence: "If you are processing personal data you usually have to notify the Information Commissioner about this. Failure to notify is a criminal offence."
However, the GOOD news: "The Act provides an exemption from notification for some organisations. The exemption is available for:
organisations that process personal data only for: - staff administration (including payroll); - advertising, marketing and public relations (in connection with their own business activity); and - accounts and records;"
Here's the link: http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/data_protection_guide/data_protection_basics.aspx
You do need to register (although you might be told you don't have to if you ring the ICO). The accounts and records refers to organisations/companies processing their own, not companies such as bookkeepers processing 3rd party data.
The ICB have a detailed leaflet available to members, I may mention for them to make it available to non members as this topic is quite popular.
