PRIVACY POLICY

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY?

ALEX BAKER MP

This privacy policy describes how I will use personal information given to me by constituents and visitors to my website (AlexBakerMP.org.uk). It also sets out information about what rights individuals have in relation to their personal information and various other matters required under data protection law.

In particular, this privacy notice provides information about how you can object to our use of your personal information, how you can withdraw any permissions you have given to enable us to process your personal information, and how you can make a complaint.

The policy has the following sections.

1. WHO AND WHAT DOES THIS PRIVACY POLICY APPLY TO?
2. WHAT’S OUR APPROACH TO PRIVACY?
3. WHAT INFORMATION MAY WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU? 
4. WHAT DO WE USE THE INFORMATION FOR? 

• Casework
• Surveys
• Direct marketing
• Newsletters
• How we use your IP address and ‘cookies’

5. WHEN WILL WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH OTHERS?
6. WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS?
7. WHAT IF I’M NOT HAPPY WITH OUR USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION?

1. WHO AND WHAT DOES THIS PRIVACY POLICY APPLY TO?

One of my most important roles is to raise issues on behalf of people. As such I will often collect and use personal information as part of my work. From time to time, we will also contact people to ask them to complete surveys to gather information and opinions on matters, and we may send newsletters or direct marketing material.

This privacy notice applies to information I gather:

• through my website, and
• from constituents who contact me about specific issues. This is known as ‘casework’.

In the sections below, when referring to constituents or visitors to this website I will use the terms ‘you’ or ‘your’.  Because so many people contact me, I have a team to help, so  I use the term ‘we’ or ‘us’ to mean me and my staff.

2. WHAT’S OUR APPROACH TO PRIVACY?

We take your privacy extremely seriously and want you to feel confident that your personal information is safe in our hands.

We will only use your personal information in accordance with the data protection law applicable to England and Wales.

Under data protection law, when we use your personal information, we will be acting as a data controller. Essentially, this means that we will be making decisions about how to use your personal information and why.

Below, we summarise the main rules that apply to us as a data controller under data protection law when we use your personal information:

1. We must be upfront about how we intend to use your personal information and must use your personal information fairly. Providing privacy information to individuals (such as in this privacy notice) is one aspect of using personal information fairly.
2. We must only use your personal information if we have a legal basis to do so under data protection law. These legal bases include:
   • That you have consented to our use of your personal information;
   • That our use of your personal information is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us.
3. We must only use certain types of sensitive personal information, also referred to as special category personal information (such as information relating to your health, or criminal convictions – see the full list below) if we can also satisfy one of the conditions for processing this type of information set out in data protection law. These conditions include:
   • That you have given us your explicit consent to use the information; and
   • That the processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.
4. We are only permitted to share your personal information with others in certain circumstances and if we take steps to ensure that your personal information will be secure.
5. Generally speaking, we must only use your personal information for the specific purposes we have told you about. If we want to use your personal information for other purposes, we need to contact you again to tell you about this.
6. We must not hold more personal information than we need for the purposes we have told you about and must not retain your personal information for longer than is necessary for those purposes (this is known as the “retention period”). We must also dispose of any information that we no longer need securely.
7. We must ensure that appropriate security measures are in place to protect your personal information.
8. We must act in accordance with your rights under data protection law.
9. We must not transfer your personal information outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”) unless certain safeguards are in place. One such safeguard is that the personal data is only transferred to a country that has been approved by the European Commission as having an acceptable level of data protection law.

3. WHAT INFORMATION MAY WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU? 

We collect personal information that is supplied in my role as a Member of Parliament.  It includes information supplied by my constituents and others in relation to matters which I have been asked to pursue in the interests of individuals and groups who live in my constituency such as, but not limited to: 

• contact details for the constituent; 
• sensitive and non-sensitive personal data in connection with constituency casework; 
• information provided by signatories on petitions; 
• responses to questionnaires. 
• statistical data on the type and number of cases processed for monitoring processes; and 
• contact details for the purpose of communicating news and updates. 

Occasionally we also hold ‘sensitive personal data’ which is information about a person’s ​ 

• racial or ethnic origin; 
• political opinions; 
• religious beliefs; 
• trade union membership; 
• health; 
• sexual life; 
• alleged criminal activity; or 
• court proceedings 

4. HOW WILL WE USE THE INFORMATION ABOUT YOU? 

The information we hold about you may be used for:

1. casework
2. surveys
3. direct marketing
4. newsletters

We may also use your IP address and we use ‘cookies’

How we will use your personal information, the legal basis we will rely upon, how long we will keep your personal information and other details is explained in detail below:

1. CASEWORK

If you ask me to deal with a matter on your behalf, I will use your information to pursue that matter you have raised with me.  My staff will see this information, record this data on a secure electronic system and contact third party organisations to seek further advice and/or make representations on your behalf.  

Your consent to use this data will be assumed at the point of contact.    Should you wish to withdraw your consent at any time, please contact me.  

If you have any questions or concerns about how information you provide as part of a casework request is used, please contact me for more information. 

Your personal and sensitive personal information may be passed to third party agencies such as the Department for Work and Pensions, Local Authorities, Home Office etc. if we believe this to be necessary to pursue the matter you have raised. 

Other than in the circumstances above, I will ask for your explicit consent to share personal information with other organisations

Occasionally, other organisations require express written consent in addition to the representations from the MP. In this instance you will be requested to complete a Consent Form in order to satisfy the other organisation that you gave consent. 

All personal data is collected on a secure electronic system.  Any paper documents supplied to me are scanned onto the electronic system in your case file and securely destroyed immediately or returned to you in the post, if you have requested their return. There are no paper records kept in my office and all electronic data is retained for a period of six years.  You are advised to retain your own copies of correspondence  should you wish to keep a record of your case.   

We will regularly review the personal information we hold to ensure that its use is necessary and proportionate. 

2. SURVEYS

What personal information we will use

• Your name, address; contact details (email address, telephone number etc) and your opinions or other personal information provided by you in the survey.

How we will obtain the personal information

• Provided by you when you complete the survey.

What purposes we will use the personal information for

• To obtain information relevant to inform.

The legal grounds we rely upon

• Our use of your personal information in connection with the purposes set out above is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us.

How long we retain the personal information and why

• We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy. If you have consented to receive information about our work, we will only retain your personal information so long as you ask not to be contacted further. We will regularly review the personal information we hold to ensure that its use is necessary and proportionate.

3. DIRECT MARKETING

If we use your personal information for direct marketing purposes, we may also be subject to additional rules that regulate direct marketing. The term “direct marketing” essentially means directing marketing material or political campaign communications at a particular individual.

To ensure compliance with both data protection laws and the specific rules relating to direct marketing, we will only use your personal information to provide you with political campaign information, whether by telephone, email, text or other forms of electronic communication or by post if you have given us your specific consent to do so.

Our legal basis for such processing under data protection law will therefore be that you have given your consent to process your personal data for direct marketing purposes.

We will retain your personal information unless and until you inform us that you no longer wish to receive direct marketing information from us. You can ask us to stop sending direct marketing to you at any time by contacting us using the details set out in the section below titled “Get in touch”.

4. NEWSLETTERS

What personal information we will use

• Your name and your contact details (postal address, email address, telephone number etc.)

How we will obtain the personal information

• Provided by you.

What purposes we will use the personal information for

• To provide you with information about the work we undertake.

The legal grounds we rely upon

• You have given your consent, or
• Our use of your personal information in connection with the purposes set out above is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us. This is because the processing of your personal data by us will be to provide you, by post, with communications about our work, an activity which we consider promotes democratic engagement

How long we retain the personal information and why

Until you tell us that you no longer wish to receive newsletters and updates from us. You can ask us to stop sending direct marketing to you at any time by contacting us using the details set out on our website in the section below titled ‘Get in touch.’

HOW WE USE IP ADDRESSES AND COOKIES

Most websites and services delivered via the internet gather certain information and stores it. This includes our website, the technology used on our website, and the hosting provider(s) we use.

This information includes Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, operating system, browser version, cookie details, the content you viewed on our website, system and configuration information, and locale and language preferences. This information will only be used to monitor and ensure the security of our website and the data kept on it and/or to make website improvements for the benefit of visitors to our website. We collect and use Log Data to operate, maintain and improve upon the information we provide to visitors to our website. For example, Log Data can help to detect new security threats on our website, identify malicious third parties, and provide more robust security protection for all users that visit and communicate with us via our website.

Our website may use cookies and other information gathering technologies for a variety of purposes, such as providing us with information about how visitors interact with the content on our website and to allow us to improve upon the services and/or information on our website for the benefit of all users. You can control how websites use cookies by configuring your browser’s privacy settings (please refer to your browser’s help section to learn more about cookie controls). If you choose to disable cookies entirely, the services and/or information provided on our website may not function properly.

5. WHEN WILL WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH OTHERS?

Sometimes, we will need to share your personal information with others. This section sets out details of who we will share your personal information with and why. It also tells you about our legal basis for doing so under data protection law and steps we will take to protect your personal information.

There are three main types:

1. Organisations that can assist with your case
2. Providers of IT services
3. The need for legal or regulatory disclosure, safeguarding and for professional advice

1. ORGANISATIONS WHO CAN ASSIST WITH YOUR CASE

Who are these organisations?

• We will share such of your personal information as is necessary with organisations such as government departments, local authorities and others who can assist with your enquiry.

Why we need to share your personal information with them

• To assist with your enquiry or to obtain information relevant to your enquiry.

The legal basis we rely upon when sharing your personal information

• Sharing of personal data with such organisations will be necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us.

What precautions do we take?

• We will only share personal data as is necessary and will take steps to determine that the organisations are aware of the importance of protecting personal data.
• We may need to transfer personal information to countries or jurisdictions outside the EU. In each case, we will take steps to ensure that the suppliers we use comply with the General Data Protection Regulation or are subject to the Privacy Shield scheme agreed between the European Union and the United States.

1. PROVIDERS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

Who will we be sharing your personal information with?

• We work with suppliers of information technology products and services companies to help us to maintain our website, deliver support to our constituents, provide communications support and maintain administrative and security support on our behalf. These service providers may only process personal information pursuant to instruction and in compliance with our privacy policy and other applicable confidentiality, security measures and regulations. We do not permit any service providers to use any personal information we share with them for their own marketing purposes or for any other purpose than in connection with the services they provide to us.

Why we need to share your personal information with such providers

• We use suppliers of information technology products and services in connection with the supply, maintenance and/or improvement of our IT network, and the creation, development hosting and maintenance of our website.

The legal basis we rely upon when sharing your personal information

• We rely upon our legitimate interests in ensuring that our work is managed efficiently and our IT system can function properly and efficiently and that our IT network is secure.

What precautions do we take?

• We enter into contracts with our IT providers which require them to put appropriate security measures in place and which restrict their use of your personal information.

1. LEGAL, REGULATORY, SAFEGUARDING AND PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

We may also need to share your personal information with others in the following circumstances:

Legal or regulatory requirements

On occasion, we may be required to disclose your personal information to organisations such as the courts or the police to comply with legal obligations we are subject to and/or to prevent fraud or crime.

Safeguarding

On occasion, we may need to disclose your personal information to other organisations such as the local authority or the police for safeguarding purposes in the substantial public interest.

Professional advice and legal action

We may need to disclose your personal information to our professional advisers (for example, lawyers and accountants) in connection with the provision by them of professional advice and/or the establishment or defence of legal claims.

 

6. WHAT RIGHTS DO YOU HAVE UNDER DATA PROTECTION LAW?

Your rights are set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation. 

The information below contains a summary of those rights and our obligations. More information about your rights and our obligations can be found on the ICO website https://ico.org.uk/.

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, you can make a request by contacting us using the details set out in the section below.

A right of access

This is a right to obtain access to your personal data and various supplementary information.

• We must provide you with a copy of your personal information and the other supplementary information without undue delay and in any event within one month of receipt of your request;
• We cannot charge you for doing so save in specific circumstances (such as where you request further copies of your personal information).

A right to have personal data rectified

This is a right to have your personal information rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete.

• We must rectify any inaccurate or incomplete information without undue delay and in any event within one month of receipt of your request;
• If we have disclosed your personal information to others, we must (subject to certain exceptions) contact the recipients to inform them, that your personal information requires rectification.

A right to erasure

This is a right to have your personal information deleted or removed. This right only applies in certain circumstances (such as where we no longer need the personal information for the purposes for which it was collected). We have the right to refuse to delete or remove your personal data in certain circumstances.

• If this right applies, we must delete or remove your personal information without undue delay and in any event within one month of receipt of your request;
• If we have disclosed your personal information to others, we must (subject to certain exceptions) contact then recipients to inform them that your personal information must be erased.

A right to object

This is a right to object to the use of your personal information. The right applies in certain specific circumstances only. You can use this right to challenge our use of your personal information based on our legitimate interests or where the processing is necessary for the performance of a task in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us. You can also use this right to object to use of your personal information for direct marketing

• If you object to us using your personal information for direct marketing, We must stop using your personal information in this way as soon as we receive your request.
• If you object to other uses of your personal information, whether we have to stop using your personal information will depend on the particular circumstances.

A right to restrict processing

This is a right to ‘block’ or suppress processing of your personal information. This right applies in various circumstances, including where you contest the accuracy of your information.

• If we are required to restrict our processing of your personal information we will be able to store it but not otherwise use it.
• We may only retain enough information about you to ensure that the restriction is respected in future.
• We have disclosed your personal information to others, we must (subject to certain exceptions) contact them to tell them about the restriction on use.

Your right to withdraw consent

• If you have given us your consent to use any of your personal information, you can withdraw your consent at any time. To do so, please contact us using the details set out on our website in the section called “Get in touch”

7. WHAT IF I’M NOT HAPPY WITH OUR USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION?

You can get in touch with us in the following ways:

Email address: [email protected]

Web: AlexBakerMP.org.uk/privacy-policy/

Write to: Alex Baker MP, House of Commons , London , SW1A 0AA 

RIGHT TO COMPLAIN TO THE INFORMATION COMMISSIONER’S OFFICER

If we are unable to deal with a complaint to your satisfaction or if you are unhappy with the way we are using your personal data, you also have the right to make a complaint at any time to the UK’s supervisory authority for data protection issues, the Information Commissioner’s Office.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. If we make any substantial updates, we will share a new privacy notice. We may also notify you in other ways from time to time about the processing of your personal information.

In effect: 29/07/26