Personal information charter

Please note: the Treasury Solicitor’s Department became the Government Legal Department on 1 April 2015.

Our personal information charter contains the standards you can expect when we ask for, or hold, your personal information. It also covers what we ask of you, to help us keep information up to date.

The Treasury Solicitor’s Bona Vacantia division

We collect information for the purposes of dealing with the collection and disposal of dissolved company assets and the administration of the estates of persons who die intestate and without known kin. The information we collect about you depends on the reason for your business with us, but we may use the information for any of these purposes. We may also use information about you to carry out research about how effective our services are.

The information we have about you

The information we keep can include:

  • forms you have completed and given to us
  • claims you have made over the phone
  • letters you have sent to us
  • copies of Identification documents forwarded
  • details of any checks we make to ensure information we have is right
  • computer records to do with your business with the department

Information we get from or give to other organisations

As well as checking the information provided with any information we already have, we may get information about you from other people and other organisations, as the law allows. We may also give information to certain other organisations. This can be because:

  • the law (including the Data Protection Act) allows us to, or says we have to
  • a Court Order says it is necessary
  • you have given your permission

The organisations we may give information to, or receive it from, include other government departments and their agencies, in particular Companies House, Land Registry, Probate Office, General Register Offices, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), local authorities, hospitals and health authorities, banks, building societies and other financial bodies, law enforcement agencies including the Police, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Assets Recovery Agency. We give information to, or receive it from, such organisations to:

  • check the accuracy of information
  • assist in tracing blood relatives
  • verify identities
  • prevent or detect crime
  • protect public funds in other ways

Sharing information with the police and other law enforcement agencies

The Bona Vacantia division may provide your personal information to police forces and other law enforcement bodies, to assist in the prevention and detection of crime and the apprehension and prosecution of offenders. Information will only be disclosed where it can be shown that not doing so would prejudice these purposes.

Data Protection Act 1998

The Data Protection Act (DPA) sets rules for the way organisations treat personal information about you. It applies to paper and computer records. The DPA allows you to find out what information is held about you on computer and in some paper records.

Request to see the personal information we hold

If you want to see the information we have about you, please tell us exactly what information you want to see. This will help us to provide you with a better service. We will send you a copy of the information we have, if any, as soon as possible and at the latest within 40 calendar days. You must ask for the information in writing and give us information that allows us to be sure of your identity and address. For example, tell us your:

  • full name
  • address
  • date of birth

If you have any other reference numbers we use, such as a case reference number, or any other information you think might help us to identify you, please also include this.

Exceptions

Normally you can see all the information we have, but there are some exceptions, mainly to do with the way fraud is detected, legal professional privilege , or prevented or catching and prosecuting offenders.

Contact us

Please address your request to:

Data Protection Officer
Treasury Solicitor’s department
One Kemble Street
London WC2B 4TS

The Treasury Solicitor is the data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act. Treasury Solicitor’s registration as a data controller is in the Public Register of Data Controllers, which can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website.

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