Privacy Notice for Home Heating Oil Support Scheme

Data Controller Name: Department for Communities
Level 4 Causeway Exchange
1-7 Bedford Street 
Belfast
BT2 7EG 
Telephone: 028 9082 9201
Email: DPO@communities-ni.gov.uk

Data Protection Officer Name: Karen McMullan 
Telephone: 028 9082 9200 
Email: DPO@communities-ni.gov.uk 

This Privacy Notice should be read in conjunction with the main Department for Communities Privacy Notice, DfC privacy notice | Department for Communities

Why are you processing my personal information? 

• This information is processed for the payment of financial support from the Home Heating oil Support Scheme, “the Scheme”. 
• The general administration of the Scheme, including provision for the review of decisions taken under the Scheme and for dealing with enquiries regarding eligibility or entitlement to the Scheme.
• We recognise the importance of keeping all personal and sensitive information secure. We are committed to taking all reasonable steps to ensure that our procedures and security are fit for this purpose and that all personal data is processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner. This is important as we may collect data that may not be processed for the Scheme.

What categories of personal data are you processing? 

Categories of information processed may include:

• Name
• Address
• Postcode
• National Insurance Number
• Email address
• Smart Phone number
• Partner details
• Appointee / Power of Attorney details
• Benefit details
• Income details
• Home Heating Source

Where do you get my personal data from?

We obtain personal information from:

• You, your representative, appointed person or Power of Attorney
• Other Business areas within the Department for Communities
• Other NI Organisations you have engaged with. For the purposes of the Scheme the Department for Communities will work with several Gas Distribution Network Operators. Any data required to facilitate the establishment of eligibility that relates to the home heating method will be limited to a house number and postcode and will be held securely only for the duration of the Scheme. 

Do you share my personal data with anyone else?

• Some of your personal information may be shared with other business areas within the Department for Communities to establish entitlement to the Scheme. This will be limited to a National Insurance Number and postcode and only when you have indicated a qualifying benefit is in payment. 
• Whilst DfC will not share your personal data with the voucher provider (Huggg) you will need to provide your name, postal address, date of birth and contact details to Huggg to redeem your prepaid card.

How long do you keep my personal data? 

All data gathered for the purposes of the Scheme will adhere to all current data protection regulations which include the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UKGDPR), which includes all the systems, services and operations performed by the Department for Communities. Data gathered for the purposes of establishing entitlement to the Scheme will only be held for the duration of the Scheme and will be disposed of securely in accordance with the Department’s Retention and Disposal schedule. The planning assumption is that the Scheme will conclude by mid-2027 as it closes to applications in March 2027: the data will then be securely disposed of.

What rights do I have?

You are entitled to ask us to:

• Provide you with a copy of your personal information. This allows you to see how and why we are using your information and that we are doing so lawfully. This is commonly known as a Subject Access Request and must be replied to within one month.
• Correct your personal information if you think it is wrong or incomplete. We will take reasonable steps to check and correct your information.
• To erase your personal information and prevent processing in specific circumstances, often referred to as the ‘Right to be Forgotten’.
• To ‘block’ or suppress the processing of personal data in specific circumstances.
• To provide you with your personal data in a format which can be used across different IT environments in specific circumstances.
• To accept your objection to your personal data being processed. This applies in certain circumstances. 
•  The right to be informed. This means that when we collect personal information from you, we will explain our purposes for processing your personal data, our retention periods for that personal data, and who it will be shared with.

You also have rights in relation to automated decision making, including profiling. 

Not all of these rights apply where your information is being processed for government purposes. 

How do I complain if I am not happy?

If you are unhappy with how any aspect of this privacy notice, or how your personal information is being processed, please contact the Department’s Data Protection Officer at:

Causeway Exchange
1-7 Bedford Street 
Belfast
BT2 7EG 

Telephone: 028 90 829201
Email: DPO@communities-ni.gov.uk   

If you are still not happy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Email: icocasework@ico.org.uk