Nicola, quite a lot of interest / enquiries about 'who does what' recently!
I work for Gateshead Council so predominately deal with council issues, plus
adviser to schools on DPA & FOI issues on behalf of LEA. Also we act as
administrators to Northumbria Police Authority and to the Lord Lieutenant of
Tyne & Wear so I have some responsibility there .
My role is Information Rights Officer and includes Data Protection, Freedom
of Information and public rights under various Local Government Acts, etc. -
to develop a corporate approach to information rights & compliance, raising
awareness, assisting service areas and the public.
Located within Legal & Corporate Services - prior to my appointment in
August 2001 ICT Services dealt with Data Protection, where it made up a
proportion of one officer's role. Her retirement in spring 2001 gave
opportunity to review the position re: DPA & FOI - scope of post broadened
and relocated because there are obvious overlaps between legislation
especially as the OIC (& LCD) cover both together.
I deal with DPA & FOI for Electoral Registration & Registrar of Births,
Deaths and Marriages too - these are effectively public register functions
undertaken within council on behalf of central government so they are Data
Controllers in their own right and need separate notification, etc. although
have included them in council Publication Scheme.
Since the abolition of Tyne & Wear each of the five met districts has taken
lead responsibility for certain functions that used to be dealt with at
county level, so I have a few of those to worry about too!
So Tyne & Wear FOI Forum set up last year to tackle common issues and share
good practice. We meet about once a month (more frequently during run up to
publication scheme deadline) and now looking at possibility of joint working
towards a regional approach to records management - and our meetings are
expanding to include DPA issues too!
I work alone and have no clerical support - though I can access general
office staff if I need to (on the rare occasions that they've some free
time). Hope this helps, Kirsty.
Kirsty E Gray
Information Rights Officer
Gateshead Council
Tel. No: (0191) 433 2170
Fax. No: (0191) 478 2755
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.gateshead.gov.uk
(Note - views expressed are those of the sender, are provided for discussion
and debate and do not necessarily reflect the council's corporate position.)
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