Environmental Health Services

1. The purpose for which we use your personal data

We use the information we collect about for the following purposes:

·        To investigate and respond to environmental health service requests, including food safety, health & safety, housing conditions, public health, statutory nuisance investigations, pollution control, animal welfare, and environmental protection.

·        To carry out inspections of premises and activities to ensure legal compliance.

·        To investigate complaints and take enforcement action where necessary, including prosecutions.

·        To process licence and registration applications, such as food business registrations, housing licences, or animal-related licences.

·        To provide advice, guidance and support to businesses and residents.

·        To protect public health, the environment, and community safety.

·        To maintain statutory records and produce reports required by law.

·        To liaise with partner organisations where necessary to fulfil our regulatory duties.

The lawful basis for the processing this information is:

·        Because it is necessary to comply with the law.

·        Because it is necessary to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions, which have a clear basis in law.

Relevant legislation may include, but is not limited to:

·        Food Safety Act 1990

·        Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

·        Housing Act 2004

·        Environmental Protection Act 1990

·        Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949

·        Public Health Acts

·        Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999

·        Animal Welfare Act 2006

·        Local Government (Wales) Acts

·        Any associated Regulations and Statutory Instruments.

 We collect and use information about your health and other special category (sensitive) personal data because:

      ·       It is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, including ensuring public              health protection and compliance with statutory environmental health duties.

       ·       It is necessary for the prevention or control of disease and other threats to health

Information about criminal convictions is also used for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of the legislation referred to above. (e.g., licensing, anti-social behaviour, or investigations requiring enforcement action, including prosecutions).

2. What type of information do we use?

We collect the following types of personal data to deliver this service:

·       Name

·       Address

·       Identification

·       Date of birth

·       Gender or gender identification

·       Unique reference number

·       Disclosure & Barring Service checks

·       Telephone number

·       Email address

·       Bank/payment details

·       Family composition

·       Your social circumstances

·       Your financial circumstances

·       Employment and education details

·       Images/photographs

·       Vehicle Registration number

Where relevant, we use the following types of sensitive personal data (known as special category data):

·       Information about your health

·       Race or ethnic origin

·       Political opinions

·       Religious or philosophical beliefs

·       Trade union membership

·       Genetic data and information about your sexual life or your sexual orientation – where this is necessary in relation to infectious disease reports and health surveillance

·       Convictions and criminal offences

3. Do we use information received from other sources?

To provide this service, we collect personal data directly from you but we also obtain information about you from the following sources:

• Other Council departments and services, for example, Housing, Social Services, Trading Standards, Planning and Legal Services
• Public Health Wales
• Welsh Government agencies
• Food Standards Agency
• Health & Safety Executive
• Natural Resources Wales
• Dyfed-Powys Police
• Mid & West Wales Fire & Rescue Service
• NHS organisations and local GPs (where relevant to public health investigations)
• Landlords, letting agents or property managers
• Businesses, agencies, or employers relevant to the service request
• Members of the public who make complaints or provide information
• Other local authorities
• Government databases, for instance, licensing systems

4. Transferring your information abroad

We use Microsoft Office 365 to process all of our electronic documents under the terms of a strict agreement, which safeguards your information.  This personal data is hosted on servers outside of the UK, but only in EU countries which are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation.

5. Who has access to your information?

We share your personal data only when there is a need for us to do so.  When we do this, we provide the minimum amount of information that is necessary in each case to the following recipients:

·       Other Carmarthenshire County Council departments involved in delivering public services

·       Public Health Wales (Welsh Government)

·       Food Standards Agency, specifically in relation to work around food safety

·       Health & Safety Executive

·       Natural Resources Wales

·       Dyfed-Powys Police

·       NHS organisations

·       Fire & Rescue Services

·       Licensing authorities

·       Approved laboratories and contractors working on our behalf

·       Landlords or property owners (where legally required during housing enforcement)

·       Courts and tribunals

·       Other local authorities (where cases cross boundaries)

There are also other specific situations where we may be required to disclose information about you, such as:

•             Where we are required to provide the information by law
•         Where disclosing the information is required to prevent or detect a crime
•           Where disclosure is in the vital interests of the person concerned

6. How long we will keep your information

We will keep your information in accordance with the Council’s Retention Guidelines.
Environmental Health records are generally retained for between 6 and 30 years, depending on the type of case, investigation, inspection or enforcement activity.

Some enforcement or legal records may be retained longer where required.

7. Your Data Protection rights

You have the right to:

• Obtain access to the personal data that Carmarthenshire Council is processing about you
• Have any inaccurate or incomplete information rectified (corrected)
• Withdraw your consent to processing, where this is the only basis for the processing
• Make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the independent body in the UK which protects information rights

In some circumstances, you may have the right to:

• Object to the processing of your personal information
• The erasure of your personal data
• Restrict the processing of your personal information
• Data portability

8. Contact details

For more information regarding this privacy notice and your rights, please contact:

Data Protection Officer
Carmarthenshire County Council
County Hall
Carmarthen
SA31 1JP

Email: dataprotection@carmarthenshire.gov.uk

Contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office along with further guidance on Data Protection legislation can be found on the ICO website .