Privacy Statement

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Who we are and why do we require your information?

County Galway is the second largest County in Ireland having an area of almost 6,149 square kilometres, with an extensive coastline. The County is blessed with a landscape of extraordinary beauty and a rich cultural heritage. County Galway has the largest Gaeltacht population in Ireland containing 48.5% of the national Gaeltacht population, where 35,668 speak the Irish language daily (based on Census 2011). The County also has four main inhabited islands

Galway County Council is the local authority for the County of Galway serving a population of 175,124 (based on Census 2011) and providing a forum for effective, accountable and democratic representation, the efficient performance of functions and the delivery of a range of services for the County. It fulfills this role both directly and also in co-operation with national, regional and local organisations, local development groups and communities.

Galway County Council seeks to promote the economic, social cultural and environmental development of Galway County and in doing so contribute significantly to improving the quality of life of the people of County Galway. Our vison for Galway is for a County with a clear sense of identity, reflecting its heritage, language and culture, where economic development is promoted, community wellbeing and engagement is nurtured, essential infrastructure is maintained and developed and the environment is protected.

The delivery of co-ordinated, effective and good value services, aimed at realising the full potential of the County of Galway, and tailored to meet the needs of all our customers, remains one of Galway County Council’s core objectives and is included in our Corporate Plan.

The principal function of Galway County Council is to provide a wide range of services to the
County of Galway under the following main headings.

• Housing and Building
• Roads, Transportation and Safety
• Water and Sewage
• Development incentives and controls
• Environmental protection
• Recreation and Amenity
• Agriculture, Education, Health and Welfare
• Miscellaneous

This quality service includes not only the level and quality of service given to our customers, but also the quality of our decision-making processes, the efficiency and effectiveness of our corporate operations, standard of our facilities and our ability to adapt in an ever-changing environment.

In order to provide the most effective and targeted range of services to meet the needs of the citizens, communities and businesses of Galway County we will be required to collect, process and use certain types of information about people and organisations. Depending on the service being sought or provided the information sought may include ‘personal data’ as defined by the Data Protection Acts and by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and may relate to current, past and future service users; past; current and prospective employees; suppliers; and members of the public who may engage in communications with our staff. In addition, staff may be required, from time to time, to collect, process and use certain types of personal data to comply with regulatory or legislative requirements.

Why do we have a Privacy Statement?

In performing its functions, Galway County Council is required to process significant amounts of “Personal Data” within the meaning of the Data Protection Acts 1988/2003/2018 (“the Acts”) and the European regulations 2016/679 (GDPR). Galway County Council respects the privacy rights of those whose Personal Data we process and we are conscious of our obligations under the Data Protection Acts.

This Privacy Statement sets out how Galway County Council obtains and processes Personal Data so that all those who provide us with Personal Data will clearly understand our practices and procedures.

Galway County Council has created this Privacy Statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy and to assure you that in all your dealings with Galway County Council that we will ensure the security of the data you provide to us.

Galway County Council creates, collects and processes a significant amount of personal data in various multiple formats on a daily basis. Galway County Council’s commitment is that the personal data you may be required to supply to us is;

• Obtained lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner
• Obtained for only specified, explicit and legitimate purposes
• Adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary for purpose for which it was obtained
• Recorded, stored accurately and securely and where necessary kept up to date
• Kept only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was obtained.
• Kept in a form which permits identification of the data subject
• Processed only in a manner that ensures the appropriate security of the personal data including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing.

Data Protection Policy

Galway County Council has a detailed Data Protection Policy which goes in to more detail as how we as a public body are committed to ensuring the security of any personal data you provide to us.

A copy of our Data Protection Policy can be accessed via the following link, here

What personal data do we need?

The types of personal data you may be asked to supply can be categorised as follows,

• Contact details to allow for efficient communication
• Details of your personal circumstances which you are required by law to supply as part of your application for a service offered by Galway County Council
• Your own financial details which you are required by law to supply as part of your application for a service offered by Galway County Council

Contact Details

In order to communicate with you will be asked for contact details. You do not have to provide all contact details but providing more, such as email, phone, address, makes it easier to communicate.

Details of Personal Circumstances

If you wish to apply for a particular service from the local authority you will be asked for a varying amount of personal details specific to you and your family, in order to support your application. Galway County Council will set out the information we require in a series of
separate and distinct application forms relevant to each service. Each service/business unit which will ask you for personal information will also provide you with a detailed privacy notice specific to that service which will detail the following,

• Detail the specific and legitimate purpose for which the personal data is being sought,
• The legal basis under which the information is required to be supplied,
• Detail of the other organisations/bodies/entities that we will be required to share data with, or obtain data from, in order to provide the required service,
• Details of how your personal data will be kept safe from unauthorised or unlawful processing,
• Details of the period for which your personal data will be retained by Galway County Council and what will happen to it after the required retention period has expired.

Financial Details

As is the case with the other personal data outlined above the specific service/section of Galway County Council will address the necessity for the financial details as part of their specific privacy notice.

Records Management and Retention

Each Unit of Galway County Council has a detailed records retention policy which goes in to more detail of the time period for which your personal data will be retained by Galway County Council and what will happen to it after the required retention period has expired.

Your Rights

You have the right to request access to personal data held about you, obtain confirmation as to whether data concerning you exists, be informed of the content and source of data and check its accuracy. In addition, if the data held by us is found to be inaccurate you have the right to change, remove, block, or object to the use of, personal data held by Galway County Council. In certain circumstances blocking access to data may delay or remove access to a service where the data is required by law or for essential purposes related to delivery of a service to you. Please note that to help protect your privacy, we take steps to
verify your identity before granting access to personal data. If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please submit a request to our Data Protection Officer at Áras an Chontae, Prospect Hill, Galway, H91H6KX, or via email to dpo@galwaycoco.ie outlining the specific details of the request.

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Right of Complaint to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the response you received from Galway County Council in relation to your request, then you are entitled to make a complaint to the Data Protection Commissioner who may investigate the matter for you.

The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner’s website is https://www.dataprotection.ie/ or you can contact their Office at:

Contact numbers: 1800437 737 / 01 7650100

E-mail: info@dataprotection.ie

Postal Address: Office of the Data Protection Commissioner,

Canal House, Station Road, Portarlington, Co. Laois. R32 AP23.