Data Protection & Privacy Statement for Limerick City and County Council

Limerick City and 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 Limerick City and County Council that we will ensure the security of the data you provide to us.

Who we are and why do we require your information?
Why do we have a privacy statement?
Data Protection Policy
What personal data do we need?
Contact Details
Details of Personal Circumstances
Financial Details
Records Retention Policy
Your Rights
Right of Complaint to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner
Detailed Privacy Statements in relation to specific Council Services

Who we are and why do we require your information?

Limerick City and County Council seeks to promote the economic, social and cultural development of Limerick city and county and in doing so contribute significantly to improving the quality of life of its people.

The delivery of high quality services, tailored to meet the needs of all our customers, remains one of Limerick City and County Council’s core objectives and is included in our Corporate Plan. 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 Limerick City and 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?

Limerick City and County Council creates, collects and processes a significant amount of personal data in various multiple formats on a daily basis. Limerick City and 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 the 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

Limerick City and County Council has a detailed Data Protection Policy which sets out our commitment to protecting the rights and privacy of individuals and details how we will ensure compliance with the GDPR and Irish data protection legislation. Download the Data Protection Policy 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 Limerick City and County Council.
Your own financial details which you are required by law to supply as part of your application for a service offered by Limerick City and County Council.

Contact Details

In order to communicate with you further, 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. Limerick City and County Council will set out the information we require in a series of separate and distinct application forms relevant to each service.

Financial Details

If you wish to apply for a particular service from the local authority you may be asked for a varying amount of personal financial details specific to you and your family, in order to support your application. Limerick City and County Council will set out the information we require in a series of separate and distinct application forms relevant to each service.

Records Retention Policy

Limerick City and County Council implements the National Records Retention Policy to manage the retention and disposal of our records, which includes your personal data.

Download a copy of the National Records Retention Policy here.

Please note: The National Retention Policy is currently under review and is being updated periodically by service area. Updated retention policy for the service areas listed below are available at the associated link and should be read in place of any related information in the National Records Retention Policy, referred to above.

Updated retention policy for the following service areas:

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 Limerick City and 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 may need to take steps to verify your identity before granting access to personal data.

Application Process

To exercise these rights, you should contact Limerick City and County Council (Data Controller) as per the contact information set out below.

Your request should be made in writing or email format and should indicate that this request is being made under the relevant article of the General Data Protection Regulation.

Please include a daytime telephone number and email address so that you can be contacted if it is necessary to clarify details of your request.

We must issue an acknowledgment of your request within two weeks of our receiving it.

We must as controllers provide information on action taken on a request under Articles 15 to 22 to the data subject without delay and in any event within one month of the receipt of the request. That period may be extended by a further two months where necessary, taking into account the complexity and number of requests. We shall inform you of the time extension required within one month of receipt of the request, together with the reasons for the delay.

How to make a request for access to personal data (Data Subject Access Request) under Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation

Data Subject Access Requests are encouraged to be made using the Data Subject Access Request Form which can be downloaded here, however requests made in writing/ by email/ verbally will also be accepted provided all necessary information is supplied. However, where an access request is made verbally, the DPC would encourage individuals to submit email/ written access requests where practical, to avoid disputes over the details, extent, or timing of an access request.

In most cases, individuals cannot be required to pay a fee to make a Data Subject Access Request. Only in certain very limited circumstances, as per Article 12(5) of the GDPR, where the initial request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ (which the controller must prove), can a controller charge a ‘reasonable fee’ for the administrative costs of complying with the request. If this occurs in your request, we will notify you in writing.

Applications under the aforementioned legislation should be addressed to:

Email: dataprotectionofficer@limerick.ie

By post:

Data Protection Officer
Limerick City and County Council
Corporate Headquarters
Merchants Quay
Limerick

Phone: +353 61 556000
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm

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 Limerick City and 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 Data Protection Commissioner’s website is www.dataprotection.ie. You can contact their Office at the following:

Telephone: 01 7650100 or 1800 437737

E-mail: info@dataprotection.ie

Data Protection Commissioner
21 Fitzwilliam Square South
Dublin 2
D02 RD28
Ireland