Privacy Policy

GDPR

Under GDPR, we have a legal duty to protect any personal information we collect from you. We use leading technologies and encryption software to safeguard your data, and keep strict security standards to prevent any unauthorised access to it.

We do not pass on your details to any third party or other government department.

Your rights

Under GDPR, you have rights as an individual which you can exercise in relation to the information we hold about you. These are:

•   a right of access to a copy of the information comprised in their personal data
•   a right to object to processing that is likely to cause or is causing damage or distress
•   a right to prevent processing for direct marketing
•   a right to object to decisions being taken by automated means
•   a right in certain circumstances to have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed
•   a right to claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the Act

You can read more about these rights here.

Visitors to our websites

When someone visits www.irelandwales.eu we use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in an anonymous way which does not identify anyone individually. We do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website. If we do want to collect personally identifiable information through our website, we will be open about this. We will make it clear when we collect personal information and will explain what we intend to do with it.

Use of Cookies by Ireland Wales

Cookies are small text files sent to your computer or mobile device by the websites that you visit. They help make websites work better and provide information to the owners of the site. For instance, we use language cookies to know what language you would like the web site displayed to you in, we also use YouTube cookies to embed videos in pages and Google Analytics cookies to track users’ behaviour whilst on the site. By understanding how people use our site, we can improve the navigation and content to better meet people’s needs. The information collected by the Company Name includes IP address, pages visited, browser and operating system. The data will not be used to identify any user personally. The cookies we use on our site are:

Web browsers allow some control of cookies through browser settings. To find out more about cookies and how to manage them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org

What information do we collect?

We monitor user activity to enhance content provided on this site. This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. ('Google'). Google Analytics uses 'cookies' and JavaScript code to help analyse user activity on websites. The information generated about your use of the website (including your anonymised IP address) will be transmitted to and stored on Google servers in the United States.

Google will use this information to produce user activity reports for this website. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf.

Google will not associate your IP address with any other data previously held. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. Please note that if cookies are disabled, you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

Read Google's Privacy Policy and Google's Terms of Service for detailed information.

This site, from time to time, links to SurveyMonkey forms for data collection. This data is processed in the US and its handling satisfies the provisions of GDPR.

Your interaction with this website

We collect two kinds of electronic information direct from visitors to this website; feedback and email subscription details.

Search engine

Our website search and decision notice search is powered by a Google Search Appliance (GSA). Search queries and results are logged anonymously to help us improve our website and search functionality. No user-specific data is collected by either Ireland Wales or any third party.

E-newsletter

We use a third party provider, GovDelivery, to deliver our monthly e-newsletters. We gather statistics around email opening and clicks using industry standard technologies including clear gifs to help us monitor and improve our e-newsletter. For more information, please see GovDelivery’s GDPR policy. Their general Privacy Policy can also be seen here.

Consultations and online survey tools

We collect information volunteered by members of the public using an online survey tool hosted by Smart Survey, who acts as data processor for Ireland Wales and only process personal information in line with our instructions. Smart Survey hosts in the United States, but has issued assurances that they meet GDPR standards, which can be seen in their Privacy Policy.

We occasionally carry out surveys using Survey Monkey. Survey Monkey has issued assurances that they meet GDPR standards, though they also host all their data in the United States. Please also see Survey Monkey’s Privacy Policy.

Online Forms

Some of our sites use Wufoo forms to collect information from users. Wufoo is a subsidiary of Survey Monkey, who store the data collected in the US, but follow our instruction and do not distribute to any third parties. Their statement on GDPR can be found here.

WordPress

We use a third party service, WordPress.com, to publish our blogs. These sites are hosted at WordPress.com, which is run by Automattic Inc. We use a standard WordPress service to collect anonymous information about users' activity on the site, for example the number of users viewing pages on the site, to monitor and report on the effectiveness of the site and help us improve it. WordPress requires visitors that want to post a comment to enter a name and email address. For more information about how WordPress processes data, please see Automattic's Privacy Policy.

Please note: all data gathered is reviewed after a period of 5 years.

People who contact us via social media

We use a third party provider, Hootsuite to manage our social media interactions.

If you send us a private or direct message via social media the message will be stored by Hootsuite for three months. It will not be shared with any other organisations.

People who email us

We use Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt and protect email traffic in line with government. If your email service does not support TLS, you should be aware that any emails we send or receive may not be protected in transit.

We will also monitor any emails sent to us, including file attachments, for viruses or malicious software. Please be aware that you have a responsibility to ensure that any email you send is within the bounds of the law.

Registration

Some features of the Ireland Wales website require registration. The registration information we require as mandatory for registration is your email address. This data is stored in the US but its handling satisfies the provisions of GDPR as confirmed here. This information is stored until such time as you choose to delete your account.

You can change your registration preferences, e-mail address and login details through the website at any time.

Complaints or queries

Ireland Wales tries to meet the highest standards when collecting and using personal information. For this reason, we take any complaints we receive about this very seriously. We encourage people to bring it to our attention if they think that our collection or use of information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate. We would also welcome any suggestions for improving our procedures.

This privacy policy was drafted with brevity and clarity in mind. It does not provide exhaustive detail of all aspects of Ireland Wales collection and use of personal information. However, we are happy to provide any additional information or explanation needed. Any requests for this should be sent to the address below.

Links to other websites

This privacy policy does not cover the links within this site linking to other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit.

Changes to this privacy policy

If this privacy policy changes in any way, we will place an updated version on this page. Regularly reviewing this page ensures you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we will share it with other parties.

This privacy policy was last updated on 17 May 2018.

How to contact us

If you want to request information about our privacy policy you can email us at webmaster@gov.wales or write to:

Data Protection Officer
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

Feedback

We welcome your feedback. If you contact us asking for information, we may need to contact other government departments to find that information. If your question is technical, we may need to pass it to our technology suppliers.

We do not pass on any of your personal information when dealing with your enquiry, unless you have given us permission to do so. Once we have replied to you, we keep a record of your message for audit purposes.

Further information

If you have any further questions about how your data will be used by Ireland Wales, please write to us using the details below.

Ireland Wales Data Protection Officer can be contacted at: