14/09/2025
Dear Ms Holland.
Thank you for your email received via my website. Parts of Yoker, but not all, are within my constituency and I am your MP. I don’t have a fixed surgery in Yoker but I have held a roving surgery in Yoker and I regularly attend events in the area.
I attend the Westminster parliament in London every week from Monday to Thursday, except during recess, and take part in debates and ask questions following ministerial statements that are scheduled there. Of course, the views I have expressed about the atrocities being committed in Palestine are my views, but they are shared by a great many constituents across Glasgow West. I raise points regarding issues in my constituency frequently in debates and in questions. On Monday of this week, I was able to welcome the £10 billion pound deal secured by BAE systems based in Scotstoun, from the Norwegian Government.
I was proud to attend the VE and VJ day events at the war memorial in Knightswood and have previously attend events at Yoker too. Regarding Community meetings, the Yoker Community Council meets regularly in and it is open to any member of the community to attend. Its meetings take place on the first Tuesday of the month in Yoker Community Campus.
You mention Cecil the lion. This was an event organised by campaign groups who are campaigning for a ban on the killing of animals, such as Cecil, as trophies. A number of constituents who support that campaign had emailed me asking me to attend to show my support. No parliamentary money was spent on the campaign which, as I say, was organised and paid for by a campaign group.
The decision about whether or not to have Christmas lights in a particular area is made by the community partnership which consists of local councillors and representatives of local community groups. I know that in some areas, e.g. in High Knightswood and Anniesland for Christmas 2023, it was decided that the cost of lights was too high, and that the community wanted to spend the money on other things and chose not to have lights that year. I am not involved in the area partnership so I cannot tell you whether any such decision was made in your area.
I hope this information is helpful to you.
Yours sincerely,
Patricia Ferguson
Member of Parliament for Glasgow West
Parliamentary Office: The House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
UK Parliament l
I will do my best to respond to your email as quickly as possible. Due to strict parliamentary protocol, I am only able to raise casework on behalf of my constituents in Glasgow West.
If you are a constituent and would like a response to your email, please ensure you provide your full name, address and a contact number in any correspondence.
Please also note that emails that I am only copied into will be noted but may not be responded to.
Constituents’ emails will be acted on as soon as possible, but all incoming correspondence is assessed on a case by case basis, with priority given to the most urgent cases. Individual casework issues are prioritised over policy and campaign enquiries.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
You can find my full privacy notice below, which sets out how I use and protect your personal information.
Patricia Ferguson MP Data Protection Privacy Notice
This the Privacy Notice of the office of Patricia Ferguson MP.
This privacy notice explains how my office collects and uses personal information about individuals.
My office address and contact details are:
Address: The House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Email: [email protected]
How I use your personal data:
I process any personal data under the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (the DPA).
What is personal data?
Personal data is any information from which a living individual can be identified.
I will hold all personal data securely, I will only use it for the purposes it was collected or acquired for and I will only pass it on to third parties with your consent or according to a legal obligation.
Further information about the data protection legislation and your rights is available here:
https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/is-my-information-being-handled-correctly/
Purposes and categories of processing personal data:
I collect and use personal data to fulfil the following functions and associated activities of my office;
· to carry out casework on behalf of my constituents;
· to tend to issues and campaigns I am involved in;
· to maintain supplier relationships;
· to process expenses, accounts and associated records.
If you contact me with an inquiry or a complaint, I will normally need to store your contact details to deal with your enquiry or complaint. This is considered to be “normal category data” under the GDPR.
Other personal data you may provide to me may include details about your personal and family life, social circumstances and business activities, your employment and education details, financial information or information about your housing situation etc.. Depending on what views, issues or experiences you wish to discuss with me, you may be sharing “special category” data with me. For example, this could include details about race or ethnic origin, political or religious views, s*x life or s*xual orientation, trade union membership, physical or mental health, genetic or biometric data or any criminal offences.
If you are a supplier, I will normally need to store your name, contact and payment details for the purposes of the contract between us.
The legal basis for processing personal data:
Data protection law states that I must have a legal basis for handling your personal data. The permitted legal bases can be found in the GDPR and the DPA.
Casework
Where it is necessary for me to process data for the purpose of taking reasonable action on behalf of a constituent, I do not require the constituent’s consent for that processing. The legal basis for the processing is that it is necessary for a task carried out in the public interest or, as regards special category data, the substantial public interest. In particular:
· In relation to ‘normal’ category data, the legal basis is that the processing is necessary for an activity supporting or promoting democratic engagement (article 6(1)(e) GDPR and section 8(e) DPA). Democratic engagement covers a wide range of political activities inside and outside election periods, including but not limited to: democratic representation, communicating with electors and interested parties, surveying and opinion gathering, campaigning activities, activities to increase voter turnout, supporting the work of elected representatives, prospective candidates and official candidates and fundraising to support any of these activities;
· In relation to ‘special category data’, the legal basis is that the processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, which includes any processing carried out by an MP, or a person acting with their authority, for the purpose of reasonable actions taken by the MP in response to a request by an individual to take action on their behalf (Article 9(2)(g) GDPR and paragraph 23 of Schedule 1 of the DPA).
Other processing activities
For other activities and functions which involve the processing of personal data, the legal basis for processing may, depending on the circumstances, be:
· Processing necessary for a task carried out in the public interest (which includes processing necessary for an activity supporting or promoting democratic engagement (article 6(1)(e) GDPR and section 8(e) DPA). Democratic engagement covers a wide range of political activities inside and outside election periods, including but not limited to: democratic representation, communicating with electors and interested parties, surveying and opinion gathering, campaigning activities, activities to increase voter turnout, supporting the work of elected representatives, prospective candidates and official candidates and fundraising to support any of these activities
· Processing necessary for the pursuit of legitimate interests
· Consent of the data subject (the person who the personal data relates to.)
· Processing necessary to comply with legal obligations
· Processing necessary to protect vital interests of individuals
· Processing necessary for the performance of a contract
As for any sensitive (or ‘special category’) data, the legal basis relied upon may, depending on the circumstances, be:
· Processing necessary to comply with legal obligations
· Explicit consent
· Processing necessary to protect vital interests of individuals
· The data has been manifestly made public by the data subject
· Processing necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims
Categories of processing activities and corresponding legal basis:
Processing of personal data means anything from collecting, storing, using to sharing and deleting (see link above for more information).
For further information on the legal basis for processing here:
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/lawful-basis-for-processing/
I process personal data in the following ways:
Processing activity
The legal basis
How long I retain the data
How the data may be shared
Receiving, storing and responding to general enquiries by letter, email, telephone or in person
The processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or for the purpose of a legitimate interest (Art 6(1)(e) GDPR). The task is the engagement of constituents with their elected parliamentary representative. The accessibility of elected representatives is in the public interest.
I will retain information for as long as I am a sitting MP.
Please refer to Sharing of personal data below.
Receiving, storing and responding to complaints by letter, telephone, email or in person
The processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest (Art 6(1)(e) GDPR). The task is the engagement of constituents with their elected parliamentary representative. The accessibility of elected representatives is in the public interest.
I will retain information for as long as I am a sitting MP.
Please refer to Sharing of personal data below.
Receiving and storing data in relation to a personal issue or problem raised by a constituent (casework)
The processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest (Art 6(1)(e) GDPR).
The task is the engagement of constituents with their elected parliamentary representative. The accessibility of elected representatives is in the public interest.
For special category data:
The processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest (Art 9(2)(g) GDPR and DPA Sch 1, para 23; (this covers any processing carried out by an MP, or a person acting with their authority, for the purpose of reasonable actions taken by an MP in response to a request by an individual to take action on their behalf).
I will retain information for as long as I am a sitting MP.
Please refer to Sharing of personal data below.
Collect and use data for the purpose of sending out newsletters with information about surgeries, office contact details and upcoming events and campaigns
The processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest (Art 6(1)(e) GDPR).
I will retain information for as long as I am a sitting MP.
Please refer to Sharing of personal data below.
Take, store and use photos and videos in connection with my engagements and events I attend in my capacity as a MP.
The processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest (Art 6(1)(e) GDPR) or for the purpose of a legitimate interest (Art 6(1)(f) GDPR) or the data subject has provided consent (Art 6(1)(e) GDPR).
I will retain information for as long as I am a sitting MP.
Please refer to Sharing of personal data below.
Sharing of personal data:
I sometimes may be required to share the personal information I hold with other individuals or organisations including for example:
· healthcare, social and welfare organisations
· local and central government bodies
· educators and examining bodies
· statutory law enforcement agencies
· investigating bodies
· elected representatives and other holders of public office
· financial organisations
· crime prevention agencies and the police
Depending on the circumstances, the legal basis for sharing data with these organisations may be that:
· the sharing is necessary for complying with a legal obligation to which I am subject (Art 6(1)(c) GDPR);
· the sharing is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another person (Art 6(1)(d)); or
· the sharing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or substantial public interest (Art 6(1)(e) or Art 9(2)(g) GDPR).
I may seek your prior express consent to share your personal data with any of the following:
· employment and recruitment agencies
· press and the media
· family, associates and representatives of the person whose personal data I am processing
· enquirers
· subjects of complaints
· political parties
· charitable parties
· health authorities
The consequences of my not processing personal data are:
· Where I am processing personal data for the performance of a contract, the consequence of not processing the personal data is that I may not be able to fulfil my obligations under that contract.
· Where I am processing personal data in accordance with a statutory obligation, the consequence of not processing personal data may be that I am liable to regulatory fines for non-compliance with that statutory duty.
Automated data processing:
I do not use automated processing techniques to process your data.
Sharing or processing personal data outside the European Economic Area:
Please note that sending personal data outside the EEA includes using online services) email distribution, survey software etc.) that are based outside the EEA.
I do not intend to share or process personal data in locations outside the EEA.
Retention of personal data:
I retain personal data for the period that is necessary to carry out casework on behalf of my constituents, work on issues and campaigns I am involved in, and to maintain supplier information, expenses, accounts and associated records.
Your rights
The GDPR sets out the rights which individuals have in relation to personal information held about them by data controllers. These rights are listed below, although whether you will be able to exercise each of these rights in a particular case may depend on the purpose for which the data controller is processing the data and the legal basis upon which the processing takes place (see the individual privacy notices listed above for further details in relation to specific processing activities).
Access to your information – You have the right to request a copy of the personal information about you that I hold.
Correcting your information – I want to make sure that your personal information is accurate, complete and up to date and you may me to correct any personal information about you that you believe does not meet these standards.
Deletion of your information – You have the right to ask me to delete personal information about you where:
· You consider that I no longer require the information for the purposes for which it was obtained
· I am using that information with your consent and you have withdrawn your consent.
· You have validly objected to my use of your personal information –my use of your personal information is contrary to law or our other legal obligations.
Objecting to how we may use your information – You have the right at any time to require me to stop using your personal information for direct marketing purposes. In addition, where I use your personal information to perform tasks carried out in the public interest or for a legitimate interest then, if you ask me to, I will stop using that personal information unless there are overriding legitimate grounds to continue.
Restricting how we may use your information – in some cases, you may ask me to restrict how I use your personal information. This right might apply, for example, where I am checking the accuracy of personal information about you that I hold or assessing the validity of any objection you have made to my use of your information. The right might also apply where this is no longer a basis for using your personal information but you don't want me to delete the data. Where this right is validly exercised, I may only use the relevant personal information with your consent, for legal claims or where there are other public interest grounds to do so.
Withdrawing consent using your information – Where I use your personal information with your consent you may withdraw that consent at any time and we will stop using your personal information for the purpose(s) for which consent was given.
Please contact me using the contact details provided above.
Changes to my privacy statement
I keep this privacy statement under regular review and will update this document as appropriate. Paper copies of the privacy statement may also be obtained using the contact information above.
This privacy statement was last updated on 17th September 2024.
Contact information and further advice
Patricia Ferguson MP
The House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
[email protected]
Complaints
I seek to resolve directly all complaints about how I handle personal information but you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office:
Online: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/
By phone: 0303 123 1113
By post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF
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