Privacy Notice 

I am the MP for the constituency of Swansea West. As your MP, it is important that my office and I can keep in touch with constituents about my work, take up casework on their behalf and ask for views on local issues. 

This Privacy Notice explains how I collect and use personal data, the legal basis for doing so and provides information about your rights in respect of your personal data for which I am the data controller. My Data Protection Officer can be contacted at torsten.bell.mp@parliament.uk or on 0179 296 3109.   

As a Labour MP I also have access to other information which I or my office, or volunteers working with me, will use for campaigning purposes or for communicating with Labour Party members. In respect of that information, the Labour Party is the data controller, and you should consult their privacy policy for details of what information they hold, why, and how they use and process that information.   

What is personal data? 

Personal data is any information from which an individual can be identified. I will hold all personal data securely and use it for the purposes it was collected or acquired for. I will only pass it on to third parties with your consent or according to a legal obligation. 

My team and 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 ensure the security of my office 

Contact details 

Address: House of Commons, Houses of Parliament, London, SW1A 0AA 

Telephone: 0179 296 3109 

Email: torsten.bell.mp@parliament.uk 

What information we collect, use, and why:  

We collect or use the following personal information to help with your queries and concerns when you contact me: 

  • Names 

  • Email 

  • Address 

  • Date of birth (if relevant) 

  • Correspondence with service providers (if relevant) 

  • Health information (if relevant) 

  • Records of consent (where appropriate) 

  • Details held with UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) 

We collect or use the following information to keep constituents up to date with my recent activities if you sign up to my newsletter:

  • Names 

  • Email 

  • Address 

  • Records of consent 

Lawful basis

Under UK data protection law, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website. 

Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are in brief set out below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website: 

  • Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. You can request other information such as details about where we get personal information from and who we share personal information with. There are some exemptions which means you may not receive all the information you ask for. You can read more about this right here. 

  • Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you. You can read more about this right here. 

If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month. To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice. 

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to help with your queries and concerns when you contact me are: 

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by emailing torsten.bell.mp@parliament.uk 

  • Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability. 

  • Public task – we have to collect or use your information to carry out a task laid down in law, which the law intends to be performed by an organisation such as ours. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure and the right to portability. 

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to keep constituents up to date with my recent activities if you sign up to my newsletter: 

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by emailing torsten.bell.mp@parliament.uk 

Where we get personal information from 

  • Directly from you 

  • In certain circumstances, a relative or friend may contact us on your behalf. However, we will require your signed authorisation before proceeding. 

  • In some circumstances another Member of Parliament’s office may refer your case to us as your parliamentary representative, but we will seek your signed authorisation before proceeding. 

How long we keep information 

Our aim is to respect your privacy and avoid unnecessary or intrusive communications. We will only contact you when relevant and necessary. Additionally, we implement strict measures and procedures to protect your information from unauthorised access or disclosure.  

Information collected to help with your queries and concerns when you contact us on the phone, by letter or by email will be kept for a maximum of one parliamentary term after date of last contact. After this period, the information will be deleted securely. 

Others we share personal information with 

  • Organisations we’re legally obliged to share personal information with 

  • Organisations you have requested we contact (e.g Ombudsmen, Government departments, Swansea Council) 

  • Emergency services 

  • Suppliers and service providers 

 

External links on this website 

While this website endeavours to include only high-quality, safe, and relevant external links, users are advised to exercise caution before clicking on any links to external sites. (External links may appear as clickable text and images leading to other websites, such as Swansea Council). 

Despite thorough efforts to ensure the reliability of external links, the website owners cannot guarantee or verify the content of any third-party site. Users should be aware that accessing external links is at their own risk, and the owners of this website accept no liability for any damages or consequences resulting from visiting external websites. 

Social Media  

Communications, engagement and any actions taken through external social media platforms associated with this website are subject to the terms, conditions, and privacy policies of each respective platform. Users are encouraged to exercise caution and be mindful of their privacy when engaging on social media. 

My team and I will never request personal or sensitive information through social media. Users wishing to discuss personal matters are advised to contact my office directly using the contact information at the top of this page. 

This website may include social sharing buttons that allow users to share content directly to social media platforms. Please note that using these buttons is at your own discretion, and the respective platform may track and store your sharing activity in accordance with its own policies. 

Squarespace 

This website is hosted by Squarespace. Further details on how Squarespace uses your data can be found on their Privacy Policy.