Confidentiality and data protection: responding to the HS2 Phase One environmental statement consultation
Published 25 November 2013
© Crown copyright 2013
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-confidentiality-and-data-protection/confidentiality-and-data-protection-responding-to-the-hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-consultation
Anyone wishing to send comments should note that responses will be published on a publicly-accessible website in due course, but we will not publish names, addresses and signatures of individuals. As it is not possible for us to check whether the substance of responses contains other personal data, you should not include information in your response that could identify you unless you are happy for it to be made public.
If you do not want any of your response to be published you should clearly mark it as “confidential” in the subject of the email or at the top of your letter. However please note the following 2 paragraphs:
If you want the information you provide to be treated as confidential, you should be aware that all information provided in response to this consultation, including personal information, may be subject to disclosure in accordance with access to information regimes (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004). Under the FOIA, there is a statutory code of practice with which public authorities must comply and which deals, amongst other things, with our confidentiality obligations. In view of this it would be helpful if you could explain in your response why you regard the information you have provided as confidential. If we receive a request for disclosure of the information you provide we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the Department for Transport or HS2 Ltd.
Please note that all responses received, whether marked confidential or not, will be passed on in full to the Houses of Parliament and their appointed assessor, who will analyse the responses and make a report to Parliament. That report will not contain your personal data.