Data Protection and Freedom of Information

[v60001]

I am new here so hope this is the correct place that I can get help. If not then apologies.

 

I am looking for advice regarding Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts.

 

As part of a recent schools closure consultation

one of the other schools under consideration collected information regarding our children.

 

Our local Council Department then collected this information from them but failed to mention that it had done so.

This information included our children's full names, year of school they attend and exact distances from the actual school in each case.

 

We feel that the Council Department should have mentioned this as soon as they received it.

 

As we suspected the document collected had information regarding our children we have had to write to our local Council.

 

We have then been refused the information on three occasions whilst invoking the freedom of information act.

 

They have quoted that 'they have no obligation to provide documents' and other such claims.

We only received the redacted data when we threatened informing the information commissioner.

 

Our redacted copies we received do not include our children's names as they have been blanked out,

but the distances of each child from school still remain.

This is quite worrying as this is a small rural area then this can easily identify where a child stays.

 

We also now believe that this information may have been handed out to others in unredacted form

where the children's names were not necessary for the purpose they received the documents.

 

Apologies for the long post. I just hope that someone can help.

 

I am hoping that you may be able to help in several ways:

* Are we entitled to complain?

* Help point us in the correct direction as to what we should do in this case.

* Possibly help with a template letter to the Information Commissioner.

* Any other advice you can give.

 

Thank you so much for your help in advance. It would mean so much to us.

[maroondevo52]

Hello and Welcome v60001,

 

I have moved this thread to the appropriate Forum, hopefully you will get some advice shortly.

 

Regards,

 

Scott.