Northern Ireland Assembly Business Office Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice sets out how the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission uses and protects the information that we collect from you, or that you provide to us in relation to the Assembly Business Office.  Please read this Notice to understand our views and practices regarding personal data and how we will treat it.

The data controller is:

The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission, Parliament Buildings, Ballymiscaw, Stormont Estate, Belfast BT4 3XX.

 

Why are you processing my personal information?

This notice applies to information we collect, hold and manage when, in hard copy or electronically, you:

  1. table a motion (including those requiring 30 signatures);
  2. table an amendment to a motion;
  3. table an adjournment debate topic;
  4. table a request for a matter of the day;
  5. table a request for a question for urgent oral answer;
  6. table a question for written answer, oral answer or a topical question;
  7. table a petition of concern;
  8. authorise another person, or are authorised by a Member, to table specified items using the ABO/1 form;
  9. authorise another person to vote on your behalf by proxy (by email or using ABO/10 form);
  10. lay or present a document or lay an item of subordinate legislation; or
  11. submit or receive information about table or plenary services or items.


Tabling items

When you table any item listed a. to g. above, either in hard copy or electronically, we collect, process and publish certain information in order to provide the service you request. Table 1 below sets out, for each of our services, the information we collect from you and the information that we publish. We do not collect optional data – i.e. all the information we collect is necessary in order to provide the tabling service you request. 

 

Table 1

Item Tabled What we collect & processWhat we publish

Motion

Including motions requiring 30 signatures.

Via email or on forms ABO/3; ABO/5; ABO/5A; and ABO/6.

Tabling Member(s)’s name(s).

Text of motion.

Names of Members adding their signature to a motion.

Indication of interest declared.

Tabling Member(s)’s name(s).

Text of motion.

Names of Members adding their signature to a motion.

Indication of interest declared.

Amendment to Motion.

Via email or form ABO/4.

Tabling Member(s)’s name(s).

Text of amendment.

Name of Members adding their signature to an amendment.

Indication of interest declared.

Tabling Member(s)’s name(s).

Text of amendment.

Name of Members adding their signature to an amendment.

Indication of interest declared.

Adjournment Debate topic

Tabling Member’s name.

Text of adjournment debate topic.

Indication of interest declared.

Tabling Member’s name.

Text of adjournment debate topic.

Indication of interest declared.

Matter of the Day

Via form ABO/8

Tabling Member’s name.

Text of matter of the day topic.

Indication of interest declared.

Tabling Member’s name.

Text of matter of the day topic.

Indication of interest declared.

Urgent Oral Question

Via form ABO/9  

Tabling Member’s name.

Text of urgent oral question.

Indication of interest declared.

Tabling Member’s name.

Text of urgent oral question.

Indication of interest declared.

Written Questions

Via form ABO/2 or self-service system.

Tabling Member’s name.

Text of written question.

Question type (normal or priority).

Indication of interest declared.

Tabling Member’s name.

Text of written question.

Question type (normal or priority).

Indication of interest declared.

Oral Questions Ballot

Tabling Member’s name for inclusion in the oral question ballot.

List of Members successful in the oral question ballot.

Oral Question

Via form ABO/2.

 

Tabling Member’s name.

Text of oral question.

Indication of interest declared.

Tabling Member’s name.

Text of oral question.

Indication of interest declared.

Topical Questions

Tabling Member’s name for inclusion in the topical question ballot.

Names of Members successful in the topical question ballot.

Petition of Concern

Via form ABO/7

Tabling Member(s)’s name(s).

The title / reference of the item of business being petitioned.

Names of Members adding their signatures to a petition.

Tabling Member(s)’s name(s).

The title / reference of the item of business being petitioned.

Names of Members adding their signatures to a petition.

 

Authorisation Forms (ABO/1)

The ABO/1 form is used by Members wishing to authorise one named individual to table items, including Bills, on their behalf.  Whips, or parties with more than one Member, may also authorise an individual to table on their party’s behalf using the ABO/1 form.  Members or parties may only authorise individuals to table items on their behalf using the ABO/1 form.  

Table 2 below illustrates what we collect using the ABO/1 form and what we publish.

Table 2

Item What we collect & processWhat we publish

Authorisation Form (ABO/1)

Name of authorising Member or name of authorising party.

Name of authorised person.

Member’s email address or Party email address (Assembly and/or other.

Email address of authorised person.

Signature of Whip or Member.

Signature of authorised person.

This information is not published.

The ABO/1 form may also be used to authorise individuals to table Bills.  Where such authorisation is provided on an ABO/1 form, the Business Office will provide this information to the Bill Office. 

 

Proxy Voting

Members may notify the Speaker, by email or using the ABO/10 form, that they wish another named Member to vote in plenary on their behalf under the temporary Standing Order 112.  This arrangement facilitates Members wishing to vote while observing public health guidelines during the period og COVID-19 response. Notification of proxy voting is done by emailing proxy.vote@niassembly (a DL which distributes notifications to business.office@niassembly.gov.uk and speakersoffice@niassembly.gov.uk. Email notifications are stored in the Business Office shared drive.  Information from notification emails is processed by the Business Office and published in papers for plenary purposes.

Table 3 below illustrates what we collect using the ABO/10 form or in emails submitted to proxy.vote@niassembly.gov.uk and what we publish.

Table 3

Item What we collect & processWhat we publish

Authorisation Form (ABO/1)

Name of the Member notifying the Speaker [M].

The name of their proxy [P].

The duration of the notification.

Confirmation that the proxy [P] is content to vote on behalf og the Member [M].

Confirmation that the proxy [P], may nominate another Member to vote on behalf of M.

A table of notifications of proxy voting is published in the Minutes of Proceedings.

A list of those Members that voted by proxy, and the name of their proxy [P] for each division is published with the division result in the Official Record; and on the voting application on AIMS.

 

Laying or Presenting a Document or Laying Subordinate Legislation

To lay or present a document in the Assembly requires the laying authority to deliver one copy of the document, together with any laying or covering letter, to the Business Office in hard copy and in electronic copy (PDF format) to laid.documents@niassembly.gov.uk.  To lay an item of Subordinate Legislation in the Assembly requires the laying authority to deliver one copy of the document, together with any supporting documents, laying or covering letter, to the Business Office in hard copy and in electronic copy (PDF format) to statutory.rules@niassembly.gov.uk.  Such covering or laying letters may be signed by, or name, a departmental official and may contain personal contact information.  Processing of laid or presented papers and laid subordinate legislation requires the circulation of such records within the Assembly.  We retain the email, including any attachments, in electronic format, together with the paper copy of the letter and document in the Business Office until the end of the mandate.  These email and hard copy records are destroyed at the end of the mandate.   List of the documents laid or presented and subordinate legislation laid is recorded in the Minutes of Proceedings which are published on the Assembly’s website. 

Parliament Buildings is a public building.  On occasion there may be photography, filming or recording in the Great Hall, other public spaces or outside the building. Signage notifying visitors that this is the case is visible at the entrances to Parliament Buildings.

 

Distribution of All Party Notices

All Party Notices (APNs), including those on the work of All Party Groups (APGs), are distributed by the Business Office on request.  Such APNs may contain contact information for a named individual in relation to the subject matter of the APN, for example work of a named APG.  Processing of APNs requires the circulation, via email, of the APN using a distribution list (see below).  We publish, for the permanent record, the APN on the Assembly’s website. We retain a copy of the APN in electronic format until the end of the mandate, when it is destroyed.

 

Business Committee and Plenary Proceedings

The Business Office also provides procedural support services to the Business Committee and Plenary.  Table 4 below sets out the information that we collect, what we process and what we publish when.

Table 4

Item What we collect & process What we publish

Plenary services

Members’ names for speaking lists and Speaker’s Briefs, including the names of members to move and wind items of business.

This information is not published.

Plenary services

Draft and Final Order Papers and indicative timings, including the names of members sponsoring individual items of business.

Final Order papers indicative timings are published on the Assembly's website.

Plenary services For plenary purposes, we process information received from the Electoral Commission containing Members' dates of birth. This information is not published.
Plenary services For plenary purposes, we process copies of letters of resignation received from the Speaker's Office. This information is not published.
Plenary services For plenary purposes, we process requests from Members to schedule a public petition.

The Member's name and the title of the petition to be presented, is published on the Order Paper.

The Member's name, the title of the petition and the Department to which petition is addressed is published on AIMS

Business Committee

Contact details of party whips, whips’ office staff and attending civil servants for communications about business committee and plenary business purposes.

This information is not published.

Business Committee

Papers from Executive Ministers and Departments, Members, Assembly Committees, parties and others for Business Committee purposes.

This information is not published.

Business Committee

Business Committee Minutes and Minutes of Proceedings (Plenary)

Business Committee Minutes and Minutes of Proceedings are published.

 

Assembly e-Petitions (Not yet in operation)

The Business Office is responsible for processing ePetitions submitted via epetitions@niassembly.gov.uk.  Table 5 below illustrates what information we collect, and what information we publish when an ePetition is created and signed.  

Table 5

Stage What we collect What we publish

Creating an ePetition

Name

Postal Address

Email address

Age range

Description of petition

Constituency *

Organisation Name (if applicable) *

Name

Description of petition

Signing an ePetition

Name

Email address

Age range *

Constituency *

None. Only the number of signatories to the ePetition is published.

When an ePetition is created we collect the information above. We process the sponsor’s name, postal address, email address and age range to assess whether your ePetition meets the Assembly’s terms and conditions, and to ensure that the sponsor is a real person – not a robot.  When an ePetition is signed, we collect the information listed above. The signatory’s name and email address are processed electronically to make sure each signatory is a real person – not a robot – and signs an ePetition only once.  When an ePetition reaches 1,000 signatures, the sponsor’s name, address, email address and petition details are shared with the relevant Assembly Committee.

Information marked with an asterisk (*) is not mandatory, is not published and is used for statistical purposes.  See the ePetitions Privacy Notice [link] for more detailed information.

 

Distribution Lists

The Business Office maintains a number of distribution lists that it uses to circulate information about tabling services such as daily lists of motions and amendments received, listed oral questions and the Members listed for topical questions.  We will ask everyone (except Members), on an annual basis, to subscribe again to these distribution lists.  Email addresses on distribution lists are not visible (i.e. included on a bcc basis).

 

What is the lawful basis for processing my personal information?

The processing by the Business Office of your personal information is necessary for exercising statutory, governmental or other public functions.  

 

Do you share my personal information with anyone else?

We do not share your personal information with anyone else.

 

How long do you keep my personal information?

We will hold this information for as long as necessary to provide tabling and plenary services, and in line with our retention and disposal schedule policy. 

 

Accessing my personal information

You have the right to obtain confirmation that your data is being processed, and access to your personal data.

  • You are entitled to have personal data rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete.
  • You have a right to have personal data erased and to prevent processing, in specific circumstances.
  • You have the right to ‘block’ or supress processing of personal data, in specific circumstances.
  • You have the right to data portability, in specific circumstances.
  • You have the tight to object to the processing, in specific circumstances.
  • You have rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.

 

How do I complain if I am not happy?

If you are unhappy with any aspect of this privacy notice, or how your personal information is being processed, please contact the Northern Ireland Assembly Information Standards Officer at:

Email: martina.dalton@niassembly.gov.uk

Tel: (028) 90521147

If you are still not happy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office is:

The Office of the Information Commissioner

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

CHESHIRE

SK9 5AF

Email: casework@ico.org.uk

Tel: 0303 123 1113

https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

 

Changes to this Privacy Notice

This privacy notice will be reviewed and updated regularly. This privacy notice was last updated on 17 August 2021.

There is a separate Privacy Policy that covers the information that is collected from you, or that you provide to us, when you use the Northern Ireland Assembly’s website www.niassembly.gov.uk.

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