Data Protection

This section of the website provides information on the data practices of the Citizens Information Board (CIB) and of the companies funded and supported by CIB.

CIB provides or supports the provision of information, advice, money advice and advocacy services. We fund a range of organisations, including Citizens Information Services, Money Advice and Budgeting Services, the Citizens Information Phone Service, the National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities and the Sign Language Interpreting Service.

These services are independent limited companies, overseen by a regional manager and a board of directors. Data Protection queries or requests related to these companies should be directed to the data protection contact of that company, outlined in each of their Data Protection Notices.

Data Protection Notice for Users of Our Services

Who are we?

We are the Citizens Information Board, a statutory body governed by the Comhairle Act 2000, the Citizens Information Act 2007 and the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008.

We provide or support the provision of information, advice, money advice and advocacy services. We fund a range of organisations, including Citizens Information Services, Money Advice and Budgeting Services, the Citizens Information Phone Service, the National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities and the Sign Language Interpreting Service.

This notice sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or from others, will be processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it.

For the purpose of the Data Protection Acts 1988-2018, the data controller is the Citizens Information Board.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted on: dataprotection@ciboard.ie.

What personal information do we collect from you?

We may collect a range of personal information from you, depending on your circumstances and the services you require. You may give us personal data by:

• Visiting our websites.
• Signing up to receive one of our newsletters, periodicals, updates or similar.
• Completing a survey in relation to our services.
• Contacting us using a social media channel. If you wish to contact us using social media, please consult the privacy policy of the social media service provider for details on their privacy practices.
• Corresponding with us by phone, email or otherwise. We ask you to disclose only as much information as is necessary to submit a question, suggestion or comment in relation to our services.
• Making a complaint about our services or the services provided by the companies we fund and support.
• Attending at an office where CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) is in operation.

What information about you do we obtain from others?

We would not expect to obtain information about you from other organisations for the purposes of providing services.

Please note, however, that the Citizens Information Board processes personal data on behalf of the organisations it funds and supports, including the Citizens Information Services and the Money Advice and Budgeting Services.

Why do we collect this information?

We collect the information in order to provide you with our services. We may use this information:

• To report on our websites and to help us improve our websites
• To send you newsletters, periodicals, updates or similar
• To refer you to one of the services we fund and support
• To provide information and advise you generally
• To examine a complaint made in relation to the Citizens Information Board or one of the services we fund and support
• To conduct statistical analysis and reporting, for training purposes, for quality review purposes and for social policy purposes

The legal bases for the processing of your data are:

• That you have provided consent for the processing for the provision of our services
• Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us as the controller
• Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject services.

The legal basis for the processing of your special category data is:

• That you have provided consent for the processing for the provision of our services

Who do we share this information with?

We may share your personal data with other entities funded by the Citizens Information Board and with public and private organisations in order to provide you with our services.

We include at Schedule 1 (below) a list of entities and categories of entities with which your personal data may be shared.

In addition, we may disclose your personal information to third parties:

• If there is a risk of serious harm to you or to another person or to property
• If we are under a duty to disclose or share your information in order to comply with any legal obligation
• If we are required to give evidence in court To get legal advice or to defend a legal right
• In the event of a disclosure relating to child abuse

How long do we keep hold of your information?

The time periods for which we retain your information depends on the type of information and the purposes for which we use it. We will keep your information for no longer than is required or permitted.

Do we transfer your information outside the European Union or European Economic Area?

In limited cases, we may transfer your data outside the EEA in line with GDPR. This may be done under the basis of an ‘Adequacy Decision’ in accordance with Article 45 GPDR. In the absence of such a decision, we rely on appropriate safeguards, including the assessment of need or supplementary measures, in accordance with Article 46 GDPR. Alternatively, we will transfer the personal data only when a derogation under Article 49 GDPR is applicable.

What are your rights with respect to your personal data?

You have the following rights:

• The right to access the personal data we hold about you.
• The right to require us to rectify any inaccurate personal data about you without undue delay.
• The right to have us erase any personal data we hold about you in circumstances such as where it is no longer necessary for us to hold the personal data or, in some circumstances, if you have withdrawn your consent to the processing.
• The right to object to us processing personal data about you such as processing for profiling or direct marketing.
• The right to ask us to provide your personal data to you in a portable format or, where technically feasible, for us to port that personal data to another provider provided it does not result in a disclosure of personal data relating to other people.
• The right to request a restriction of the processing of your personal data.

Where our processing of your personal data is based on your consent to that processing, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time but any processing that we have carried out before you withdrew your consent remains lawful. The withdrawal of your consent may mean the suspension or cessation of the provision of the services that we have been providing you up until the date of withdrawal of consent on the basis that we are no longer able to provide these services without your personal data.

You may exercise any of the above rights by contacting our data protection contact at any of the contact points listed above.

You may lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority with respect to our processing of your personal data. The supervisory authority in Ireland is the Data Protection Commission. The website is www.dataprotection.ie.

What will happen if we change our Data Protection Notice?

This notice may change from time to time, and any changes will be posted on the www.citizensinformationboard.ie website and will be effective when posted.

This notice was last updated in December 2023

How can you contact us?

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted on: dataprotection@ciboard.ie.

Schedule 1

We have set out below a list of third parties with whom we may share your data.

Third party	Description
Any legal successors to the Citizens Information Board	Where the Citizens Information Board transfers its business to another organisation or merges with another organisation.
Other entities funded by the Citizens Information Board	Where we refer your case to another entity funded by the Citizens Information Board in order to provide services. Where we work with other Citizens Information Services and the Citizens Information Phone Service to provide a national callback service.
ICT providers	Where ICT services such as network facilities, website hosting, hardware, software, email, network storage, case management systems, analytics services, search services, digital maps services or similar are provided by or maintained by a third party.
Archiving companies	Where we archive our files in facilities provided by a third party.
Shredding companies	Where our files are securely destroyed by a third party.