We monitor and review news reports, media coverage, published articles and other publicly available information relevant to the exercise of our legislative, scrutiny and governance functions. These sources may contain personal data relating to elected members, public officials, representatives of organisations, stakeholders and individuals involved in matters relevant to our work.
Normal category data such as names, addresses and telephone numbers.
Special category data as defined by the UK General Data Protection Regulation. Special category data applies to personal data revealing:
Information is provided in news items and publications from publicly available sources.
Data protection law states that we must have a legal basis for handling your personal data.
The lawful basis for this processing is for the purposes of a task carried out in the public interest in terms of Article 6(1)(e) UK GDPR.
For the processing of special category in these circumstances the condition for processing is in terms of Article 9(2)(g) of the UK GDPR which applies to substantial public interest with a substantial public interest condition in terms of paragraph 6(2)(b) of part 2 to Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). For the processing of criminal offence data in these circumstances the condition for processing is in terms of Article 10 of the UK GDPR and paragraph 6(2)(b) of part 2 to Schedule 1 of the DPA.
Personal data contained in news items and publications relevant to the work of the Scottish Parliament is shared with relevant offices including the Parliamentary Communications Office (PCO) and where applicable the Chief Executive’s Office. This information may be shared with other relevant offices depending on the nature of the information and the relevance to the work of the office involved.
Personal data in news items and publications is retained for no longer than is necessary for the purposes of the processing and subject to a retention period of 2 years.
In line with the principles underlying the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland, our staff may report a concern to the relevant authorities if they come across an issue during their work which causes them to think that a child may be at risk of abuse or harm
Data protection legislation sets out the rights which individuals have in relation to personal data held about them by data controllers. Applicable rights are listed below. You can exercise your data subject rights in particular circumstances depending on the purpose for which the data controller is processing the data and the legal basis upon which the processing takes place.
The following rights may apply:
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information about you that we hold.
Further information on how to make a data protection 'subject access request'.
You have the right to ask us to correct the personal data we hold about you. 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.
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.
Please note that the right to object to the processing of personal data for the purposes of a public interest task is restricted if there are legitimate grounds for the processing which override the interest of the data subject.
You have the right to ask us to delete personal information about you where:
Please note that the right allowing for deletion or erasure of personal data (right to be forgotten) does not apply in cases where personal data is processed for the purposes of the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.
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 there is no longer a basis for using your personal information, but you don't want us to delete the data. Where this right is 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.
Please contact us in any of the ways set out below if you wish to exercise any of these rights.
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 using the contact information below.
This privacy statement was last updated on 29 September 2026.
If you have any further questions about the way in which we process personal data, or about how to exercise your rights, please contact the Head of Information Governance at:
The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
Email: [email protected]
If you are unhappy with the way that we have handled your personal information you can make a complaint to the Information Governance Team of the Scottish Parliament at the following address: [email protected]. We will respond to your complaint without undue delay and within one month. If, having made a complaint, you are still unhappy with the way your personal information has been handled, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office using the following link: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Or by phone at: 0303 123 1113