GDPR Compliance Statement
Introduction
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) comes into force
across the European Union on 25th May 2018 and brings with it the most
significant changes to data protection law in two decades. Based on
privacy by design and taking a risk-based approach, the GDPR has been
designed to meet the requirements of the digital age.
The 21st Century brings with it broader use of technology, new definitions
of what constitutes personal data, and a vast increase in cross-border
processing. The new Regulation aims to standardise data protection laws
and processing across the EU; affording individuals stronger, more
consistent rights to access and control their personal information.
Our Commitment
Gwynedd Confectioners (including all UK sites) are committed to
ensuring the security and protection of the personal information that we
process, and to provide a compliant and consistent approach to data
protection. We have always had a robust and effective data protection
program in place which complies with existing law and abides by the
data protection principles. However, we recognise our obligations in
updating and expanding this program to meet the demands of the GDPR
and the Data Protection Bill.
We are dedicated to safeguarding the personal information under our
remit and in developing a data protection regime that is effective, fit for
purpose and demonstrates an understanding of, and appreciation for
the new Regulation. Our preparation and objectives for GDPR
compliance have been summarised in this statement and include the
development and implementation of new data protection roles, policies,
procedures, controls and measures to ensure maximum and ongoing
compliance.
How We are Preparing for the GDPR
Gwynedd Confectioners already have a consistent level of data
protection and security across our organisation, however it is our aim to
be fully compliant with the GDPR by 25th May 2018.
Our preparation includes: –
- Information Audit – we have carried out a company-wide information
audit to identify and assess what personal information we hold, where it
comes from, how and why it is processed and if and to whom it is
disclosed.
- Policies & Procedures – revised existing data protection policies and
procedures to meet the requirements and standards of the GDPR and
any relevant data protection laws, including: –
•
Data Protection – our main policy and procedure document for
data protection has been overhauled to meet the standards and
requirements of the GDPR. Accountability and governance
measures are in place to ensure that we understand and
adequately disseminate and evidence our obligations and
responsibilities; with a dedicated focus on privacy by design and
the rights of individuals.
•
Data Retention & Erasure – we have updated our retention policy
and schedule to ensure that we meet the ‘data minimisation’ and
‘storage limitation’ principles and that personal information is
stored, archived and destroyed compliantly and ethically. We have
dedicated erasure procedures in place to meet the new ‘Right to
Erasure’ obligation and are aware of when this and other data
subject’s rights apply; along with any exemptions, response
timeframes and notification responsibilities.
•
Data Breaches – our breach procedures ensure that we have
safeguards and measures in place to identify, assess, investigate
and report any personal data breach at the earliest possible time.
Our procedures are robust and have been disseminated to all
employees, making them aware of the reporting lines and steps to
follow.
•
Subject Access Request (SAR) – we have revised our SAR
procedures to accommodate the revised 30-day timeframe for
providing the requested information and for making this provision
free of charge. Our new procedures detail how to verify the data
subject, what steps to take for processing an access request, what
exemptions apply and a suite of response templates to ensure that
communications with data subjects are compliant, consistent and
adequate.
- Legal Basis for Processing – we have reviewed all processing activities
to identify the legal basis for processing and ensuring that each basis is
appropriate for the activity it relates to. Where applicable, we also
maintain records of our processing activities, ensuring that our
obligations under Article 30 of the GDPR and Schedule 1 of the Data
Protection Bill are met.
- Privacy Notice/Policy – we have reviewed our Privacy Notices to
comply with the GDPR, ensuring that all individuals whose personal
information we process have been informed of why we need it, how it is
used, what their rights are, who the information is disclosed to and what
safeguarding measures are in place to protect their information.
- Obtaining Consent – we have revised our consent mechanisms for
obtaining personal data, ensuring that individuals understand what they
are providing, why and how we use it and giving clear, defined ways to
consent to us processing their information. We have developed stringent
processes for recording consent, making sure that we can evidence an
affirmative opt-in, along with time and date records; and an easy to see
and access way to withdraw consent at any time.
- Direct Marketing – we have revised the wording and processes for
direct marketing, including clear opt-in mechanisms for marketing
subscriptions; a clear notice and method for opting out and providing
unsubscribe features on all subsequent marketing materials.
- Processor Agreements/Supplier Validation – where we use any third-
party to process personal information on our behalf (i.e. Payroll,
Recruitment, Hosting etc), we have secured Processor Agreements to
ensure that they (as well as we), meet and understand their/our GDPR
obligations. These measures include initial and ongoing reviews of the
service provided, the necessity of the processing activity, the technical
and organisational measures in place and compliance with the GDPR. In
addition we have contacted our existing suppliers to ensure that they are
complying with the law and have incorporated appropriate GDPR audit
compliance questions into our Supplier Questionnaires for new Suppliers.
- Special Categories Data – where we obtain and process any special
category information, we do so in complete compliance with the Article 9
requirements and have enhanced protection on all such data. Special
category data is only processed where necessary and is only processed
where we have first identified the appropriate Article 9(2) basis or the
Data Protection Bill Schedule 1 condition. Where we rely on consent for
processing, this is explicit and is verified by a signature, with the right to
modify or remove consent being clearly signposted.
Data Subject Rights
In addition to the policies and procedures mentioned above that ensure
individuals can enforce their data protection rights, we provide easy to
access information via our website, in the office, during induction of an
individual’s right to access any personal information that Gwynedd
Confectioners processes about them and to request information about:
- What personal data we hold about them
- The purposes of the processing
- The categories of personal data concerned
- The recipients to whom the personal data has/will be disclosed
- How long we intend to store your personal data for
- If we did not collect the data directly from them, information about the
source
- The right to have incomplete or inaccurate data about them corrected
or completed and the process for requesting this
- The right to request erasure of personal data (where applicable) or to
restrict processing in accordance with data protection laws, as well as to
object to any direct marketing from us and to be informed about any
automated decision-making that we use
- The right to lodge a complaint or seek judicial remedy and who to
contact in such instances
Information Security & Technical and Organisational Measures
Gwynedd Confectioners takes the privacy and security of individuals and
their personal information very seriously and take every reasonable
measure and precaution to protect and secure the personal data that we
process. We have robust information security policies and procedures in
place to protect personal information from unauthorised access,
alteration, disclosure or destruction and have several layers of security
measures, including: –
- Remote access to systems and data is over an SSL encrypted
connection
- Users only have access to data they need for their role
- Having a complex password policy in place
GDPR Roles and Employees
Gwynedd Confectioners have designated Steve Valentine as our Data
Protection Lead and have appointed a data privacy team to develop and
implement our roadmap for complying with the new data protection
Regulation. The team are responsible for promoting awareness of the
GDPR across the organisation, assessing our GDPR readiness, identifying
any gap areas and implementing the new policies, procedures and
measures.
Gwynedd Confectioners understands that continuous employee
awareness and understanding is vital to the continued compliance of the
GDPR and have involved our employees in our preparation plans. We
have implemented an employee training program specific to the which
will be provided to all employees prior to May 25th, 2018, and forms part
of our induction and annual training program.
If you have any questions about Gwynedd Confectioners GDPR
compliance activity, please contact Steve Valentine at
gifts@gwyneddconfectioners.co.uk
Head Office & Showroom -
21 Business Park, Bala, Gwynedd, Wales, LL23 7NL.
Tel: 01678 521280 Fax: 01678 521478
‘Perfection in Confection’