Public Services Essay

Legal rights that protect citizens in the UK

There are laws in the United Kingdom that are in place to protect the citizens and any visitors to the country. Anyone who is in the UK for any reason has fundamental human rights which government and public authorities (UPS) are legally obliged to respect and co-operate with. These became law as part of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Data Protection Act 1998.

The 1998 Data Protection Act became law on the 24th October 1998 and is a legal right that any citizen is entitled to. This act is concerned with personal data and the manner in which the data is processed and used.

The 1998 Act is very similar to the 1984 Data Protection Act but it has many new principles such as…
-Organizations processing personal data must meet one of the six conditions in order to process personal data about other people.
-Organizations must meet additional conditions to process sensitive data e.g. Data about a person’s racial or ethnic origins, political beliefs, religion, trade union membership, physical or mental health, sexual life and criminal history.
-The Organizations must inform the individuals when their data is being collected.
The Act establishes eight mandatory procedures that organizations which process data must follow. Data is required to be:
  lawfully processed
  processed for limited purposes
  adequate, relevant and not excessive
  accurate
  kept no longer than necessary
  processed in accordance with individuals’ rights
  kept secure
  not transferred to non-EEA countries without adequate protection
When an organization wishes to hold personal information, it must notify the Data Protection Commissioner of the personal data being processed, the purposes for which the data is being processed and to whom the data may be disclosed.

Sex discrimination Act/Equal Pay Act
Under the Equality Act 2010 it's unlawful for an employer to discriminate against you because of your sex.
Sex...