This notice explains how the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland (“the Church”) processes your personal information. Personal information is any information that identifies you personally, including your name, address, email address, and phone number. The notice covers all areas of the Church which process personal information subject to UK or EU legislation, including congregations, Church courts, the Free Presbyterian Bookroom and the residential care homes.
The Church is the data controller in terms of data protection legislation, because the Church decides how your data are processed and for what purpose. Contact details are provided below. Any updates to this notice will be published on the Church’s website.
Uses of personal information
The Church processes personal information for the following purposes:
• to further the Church’s purpose, which is the advancement of the Christian religion;
• to maintain accounting and administrative records, centrally and within congregations, including for Gift Aid;
• for payroll administration and related purposes associated with recruitment or management of staff and volunteers;
• for reception of students and other candidates for the ministry, and training of the ministry;
• to facilitate contact with ministers, elders, deacons, members and adherents of the Church;
• to obtain and analyse disclosure information related to safeguarding legislation;
• to maintain communion rolls and other records related to Church membership and pastoral care;
• for organisation and administration of conferences involving young people and/or Church members;
• for distribution of the Church’s magazines and other official publications;
• to administer Scripture knowledge exercises for young people;
• for operation of the Church’s residential care homes;
• to maintain security at Church premises.
Sharing of information
The Church will only share your personal information where this is necessary for the purposes set out above. Information will not be shared with third parties outside the Church without your consent unless we are required or permitted to do so by law.
Basis for processing personal information
The Church processes personal information only when it has a valid legal basis for doing so. At least one of the following bases applies when personal information is processed:
• you have given consent for your personal information to be processed for a particular purpose;
• the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you;
• the Church is legally obliged to carry out the processing;
• the processing is necessary for the purpose of pursuing the Church’s legitimate interests, and such interests are not over-ridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms.
Some of the personal information processed by the Church is “special category data” which might reveal the subject’s racial or ethnic origin or religious beliefs, or which concerns their health. The Church processes this data as a not-for-profit body with a religious aim. Such data might be processed in the course of the Church’s legitimate activities, with appropriate safeguards in place, where it relates solely to members or former members of the Church, or to people who have regular contact with the Church. This data will not be disclosed to third parties without your consent.
Storage and security of personal information
The Church will seek to ensure that personal information is accurate and held in a secure and confidential environment. We will keep your personal information for as long as we are obliged to keep it by law or may need it in order to respond to any enquiries. We may also keep it for statistical purposes but if so we will only use it for that purpose. When the information is no longer needed it will be securely destroyed or permanently rendered anonymous.
You can request details of the personal information which the Church holds about you by contacting us using the contact details given below.
Inaccuracies and Objections
If you believe that any information the Church holds about you is incorrect or incomplete or if you do not wish your personal information to be held or used by us please let us know. Any information found to be incorrect will be corrected as quickly as possible.
You have the right to object to our use of your personal information, or to ask us to remove or stop using your personal information if there is no need for us to keep it. There may be legal or other reasons why we need to keep or use your data, but please tell us if you think that we should not be using it.
If we are processing your data on the basis of your explicit consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time. Please contact us if you want to do so.
The Information Commissioner’s Office
You have the right to contact to the Information Commissioner’s Office on 0303 123 1113 or its website at www.ico.org.uk or at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Contact details
You can contact the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland about any aspect of data protection at:
133 Woodlands Road
Glasgow G3 6LE
fpchurch@btconnect.com