Our commitment
Balfour Shaw is fully committed to handling personal information in accordance with data protection legislation and best data protection practices. This means that your personal information will be:
- Processed lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner.
- Collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes.
- Only collected so far as required for our lawful purposes.
- As accurate and up to date as possible.
- Retained for a reasonable period of time, in accordance with retention policies.
- Processed in a manner which ensures an appropriate level of security.
We endeavour to ensure that our clients and third parties understand why we process personal information and their rights.
What personal information we collect
We collect the personal information needed for us to lawfully provide you with the services set out in our Letter of Engagement. This information shall include, but is not necessarily restricted to that required to enable us to
- meet our duties imposed by the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the Terrorism Act 2000 and Money Laundering Regulations 2007
- prepare business and property accounts
- prepare business and personal tax returns
Where we collect personal information from
We shall obtain personal information from you either orally, in writing or other documentary format. We shall also obtain, subject to your express approval, information directly from your bank and/or financial institution, HM Revenue and Customs, Company/Private Pension provider and other relevant sources through their respective Web Portals and/or in writing.
How we use your personal information
The purposes for which your personal information is processed may include any or all of, but is not necessarily restricted to, the following non exhaustive list to enable us to
- deliver services and meet legal responsibilities
- verify identity where this is required
- communicate by post, email or telephone
- understand your needs and how they may be met
- maintain adequate records to fulfil our obligations to you
- process financial transactions
- prevent and detect crime, fraud or corruption
Who we share your personal information with
We shall not share your personal data or information with any third-party
- unless obliged to do so by law
- unless directed by you to communicate your personal information to a specific third party
- except as to the extent required to fulfil our obligations under our Letter of Engagement, under which our processing activities necessarily require us to share your personal information with , amongst others, the following software providers;
- IRIS
- Kashflow
- FreeAgent
- Microsoft
We take all reasonable steps to ensure your personal data will be handled appropriately and securely by the third party where we share your information.
If you do not provide your personal information
We shall be unable to fulfil our obligations to you under or Letter of Engagement. Our services shall be terminated. You shall be responsible for uplifting all original source documentation held by us.
How long we retain your personal information for
We shall retain personal information for a minimum period of seven years from the date of the final statutory filing made for you. This period may be extended if
- documentation held contains information of continuing significance
- HMRC enquire into your tax return
- we are required to hold for a longer duration by a government authority/agency
Holding personal information outside the EEA
We do not hold data outside the EEA
Using our website
We do not obtain personal information through visits to our website save for contact details provided by you through our Contact Request. This information is used solely for the purpose of our initial contact and is not stored by us.
Your Rights
Your rights to personal information held by us follow and are collectively referred to as “information requests”.
Access to your information
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information about you that we hold.
Correcting your information
We want to make sure that your personal information is accurate, complete and up to date and you may ask us to correct any personal information about you that you believe does not meet these standards.
Deletion of your information
You have the right to ask us to delete personal information about you where
- you consider that we no longer require the information for the purposes for which it was obtained
- we are using that information with your consent and you have withdrawn your consent – see Withdrawing consent to using your information below
- you have validly objected to our use of your personal information – see Objecting to how we may use your information below
- our use of your personal information is contrary to law or our other legal obligations
Objecting to how we may use your information
In some cases, you may ask us to restrict how we use your personal information. This right might apply, for example, where we are checking the accuracy of personal information about you that we hold or assessing the validity of any objection you have made to our use of your information. The right might also apply where this is no longer a basis for using your personal information but you don’t want us to delete the data. Where this right to validly exercised, we may only use the relevant personal information with your consent, for legal claims or where there are other public interest grounds to do so.
Restricting how we may use your information
You have the right at any time to require us to stop using your personal information for direct marketing purposes. In addition, where we use your personal information to perform tasks carried out in the public interest then, if you ask us to, we will stop using that personal information unless there are overriding legitimate grounds to continue.
Withdrawing consent using your information
Where we use your personal information with your consent you may withdraw that consent at any time and we will stop using your personal information for the purpose(s) for which consent was given. Please contact us in any of the ways set out in the Contact information and further advice section if you wish to exercise any of these rights.
Response time to information requests
We shall endeavour to respond to information requests within one month. In some circumstances, we might have to extend our response time. You shall be notified if this is the case. Responses are free unless considered to be excessive, unfounded or repetitive, in which case a fee shall be charged based.
Changes to our privacy statement
We keep this privacy statement under regular review and will place any updates on this website. Paper copies of the privacy statement may also be obtained upon request by telephone, in writing or uplifted from the contact below. This privacy statement was last updated on 01 May 2018.
Contact information and further advice
Gordon Howes Data Protection Officer Balfour Shaw 10 Buko Tower Southfield Glenrothes Fife KY6 2SS
Tel: 0159 263 1158 Email: services@balfourshaw.co.uk Web: www.balfourshaw.co.uk
Complaints
We seek to resolve directly all complaints about how we handle personal information but you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office, whose contact details are as follows:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745
Web: https://ico.org.uk/concerns