The General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (Cap 586) regulate the processing of personal data whether held electronically or in manual form. The Animal Health and Welfare Department is set to fully comply with the Data Protection Principles as set out in such data protection legislation.
Purposes for collecting data
The Animal Health and Welfare Department collects and processes information to carry out its obligations in accordance with present legislation. All data is collected and processed in accordance with Data Protection Legislation, as well as the Veterinary Services Act (Chapter 437), Animal Welfare Act (Chapter 439), Environment Protection Act SL 549.111 and Paying Agency Regulation SL 146.03 together with their subsidiary legislations and any other law or regulation to which it may be subject, including regulations issued by the Commission of the European Union.
Recipients of data
Personal Information is accessed by the employees who are assigned to carry out the functions of the Animal Health and Welfare Department. Personal Data will be disclosed to government departments, national authorities and agencies, as authorised by law. Disclosure can also be made to third parties but only as authorized by law.
Your rights
You are entitled to know, free of charge, what type of information the Animal Health and Welfare Department holds and processes about you and why, who has access to it, how it is held and kept up to date, for how long it is kept, and what the Unit is doing to comply with data protection legislation.
The GDPR establishes a formal procedure for dealing with data subject access requests. All data subjects have the right to access any personal information kept about them by the Animal Health and Welfare Department, either on computer or in manual files. Requests for access to personal information by data subjects are to be made in writing and sent to the Director General of the Animal Health and Welfare Department. Your identification details such as ID number, name and surname have to be submitted with the request for access. In case we encounter identification difficulties, you may be required to present an identification document.
The Animal Health and Welfare Department aims to comply as quickly as possible with requests for access to personal information and will ensure that it is provided within a reasonable timeframe and in any case not later than one month from receipt of request, unless there is good reason for delay. When a request for access cannot be met within a reasonable time, the reason will be explained in writing to the data subject making the request. Should there be any data breaches, the data subject will be informed accordingly.
All data subjects have the right to request that their information is not used or is amended if it results to be incorrect. Data subjects may also request that their data is erased.
These rights may be restricted, if applicable, as per Data Protection Legislation.
In case you are not satisfied with the outcome of your access request, you may refer a complaint to the Information and Data Protection Commissioner, whose contact details are provided below.
The
Data Protection Officer may be contacted on
dpo.ahwd@gov.mt by telephone on 22925100 or 22925357.
The Animal Health and Welfare Department may be contacted at:
Animal Health and Welfare Department
Abattoir Square, Albertown,
Marsa MRS1123
Tel: 22925100
The Information and Data Protection Commissioner
The Information and Data Protection Commissioner may be contacted at:
Level 2, Airways House,
High Street,
Sliema SLM 1549
Telephone: 23287100