Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government has taken to ensure charities are able to access necessary support after General Data Protection Regulations legislation becomes effective on 25 May 2018.
Answered by Margot James
All UK businesses together with all organisations that process personal data will be required to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) after 25th May 2018 and the UK's full data protection regime as set out in the Data Protection Bill. However, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) have made it clear that GDPR compliance will be an ongoing journey.
The ICO provides guidance and support to UK organisations and have already published a number of resources on the Commissioner's website (ico.org.uk) to help organisations prepare. The ICO has: launched a dedicated helpline service for smaller organisations; updated its 'SME toolkit' to reflect the requirements of the GDPR; simplified its "12-step" GDPR preparation guidance; and published tailored advice for charities.
The ICO will continue to provide support for organisations on the new laws.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the preparedness of charities to implement change required by the General Data Protection Regulation from May 2018.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government and the Information Commissioner recognise the challenges facing organisations across the UK, including charities, in their preparations for the Data Protection Bill and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). A recent survey by the Institute of Fundraising found that three quarters of charities have started preparations for the new law. However, the survey also found that 22 per cent of charities had not reviewed their data protection practices or begun preparations for the new regime.
In February 2017, the Charity Commission, Fundraising Regulator and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) held a joint conference to help fundraising charities prepare for forthcoming changes. The Fundraising Regulator also published guidance for charities and fundraisers on complying with the law.
There are already resources on the ICO website (ico.org.uk) to help organisations employing fewer than 250 people prepare for the data protection regime. This month the ICO has launched a dedicated helpline service for SMEs including charities and has updated its SME toolkit to reflect the requirements of GDPR. The ICO will also be simplifying its "12-step" GDPR preparation guidance in response to requests from SMEs and will continue to develop further guidance on both the Bill and GDPR. Small charities and SMEs can also make use of the ICO's advisory visit service which provides organisations with practical advice on improving their data protection practices.
The Office for Civil Society’s small charities fundraising training programme already includes training on the GDPR, in recognition of the need to support small charities with meeting the new legal requirements.
The Government, Fundraising Regulator and the ICO will continue to support the charity sector to ensure it is prepared for the changes.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support she has provided to help charities adapt to changes introduced by the General Data Protection Regulation from May 2018.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government and the Information Commissioner recognise the challenges facing organisations across the UK, including charities, in their preparations for the Data Protection Bill and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). A recent survey by the Institute of Fundraising found that three quarters of charities have started preparations for the new law. However, the survey also found that 22 per cent of charities had not reviewed their data protection practices or begun preparations for the new regime.
In February 2017, the Charity Commission, Fundraising Regulator and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) held a joint conference to help fundraising charities prepare for forthcoming changes. The Fundraising Regulator also published guidance for charities and fundraisers on complying with the law.
There are already resources on the ICO website (ico.org.uk) to help organisations employing fewer than 250 people prepare for the data protection regime. This month the ICO has launched a dedicated helpline service for SMEs including charities and has updated its SME toolkit to reflect the requirements of GDPR. The ICO will also be simplifying its "12-step" GDPR preparation guidance in response to requests from SMEs and will continue to develop further guidance on both the Bill and GDPR. Small charities and SMEs can also make use of the ICO's advisory visit service which provides organisations with practical advice on improving their data protection practices.
The Office for Civil Society’s small charities fundraising training programme already includes training on the GDPR, in recognition of the need to support small charities with meeting the new legal requirements.
The Government, Fundraising Regulator and the ICO will continue to support the charity sector to ensure it is prepared for the changes.