Information legislation

The Data Protection Act

The Data Protection Act  (external website) was introduced to give effect to the EU Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC, while the impetus for the Freedom of Information Act came from the commitment to open government that the Labour Party made in its 1997 manifesto.

  • Both Acts are concerned with the same issue - access to information - although they cover different types of information: the Data Protection Act regulates and restricts access to information that amounts to personal data, and the Freedom of Information Act opens up access to information held by public authorities.
  • Both Acts are concerned with the fair and proper treatment of individuals: the Data Protection Act ensures that the information about individuals is not abused, and the Freedom of Information Act ensures that individuals have access to the information relied on by public bodies taking decisions that affect them.

All of these rights are also contained in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which deals with the right to respect for family and private life, as does the UK's Human Rights Act 1998.

The Freedom of Information Act

Postcomm is notified to the Information Commissioner as a collator and processor of personal information, and, as a public authority, we must comply with the Freedom of Information Act.

If you would like to make a request to access information held by Postcomm, please firstly check The Freedom of Information Act 2003 publication scheme (pdf, 71KB), which sets out the type of information that Postcomm holds, and the requirements on us to make it available.  If the information you require is not included in the Publication Scheme, please then email your request to foi@psc.gov.uk or write to us at FOI Team, Postcomm, Hercules House, Hercules Road, London, SE1 7DB.

Please remember that FOI requests must be in writing, but this includes emails as well as letters.  If however, you would like to discuss making a request, or find out more about the progress of your request, please contact Postcomm on 020 7593 2100 and ask for the FOI Team.

We will reply to your request within 20 working days of receiving it.  Our reply will either provide the information you have requested, or explain why it has not been provided, quoting an exemption under the Act.

If you are dissatisfied with the information you have received or our response to you, you can ask us to conduct an internal review of our decision.  If, after an internal review you still remain dissatisfied, you may ask the Information Commissioner to take up your complaint (see www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk) for further information.