The Consulting Association, an organisation that ran a database containing details on 3,213 construction workers, has been investigated and prosecuted by the ICO. The database, which was used by over 40 construction companies to vet individuals for employment, included information about construction workers’ personal relationships, trade union activity, and employment history.
How do I know if The Consulting Association held information about me?
Because people may have been denied employment because of the activities of The Consulting Association, the ICO has taken the unusual step of assuming control of the database. We have set up a telephone service for people to check whether information about them was held on The Consulting Association’s database. This service will be provided by the ICO, not The Consulting Association. The ICO intends to retain the database until 31 March 2010 at which point we will review our position.
What should I do to find out if I am on the database?
If you wish to check whether information about you is held on the database you can call our Helpline on 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 545745 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday and choose option 1.
Give us your name, and we will search the database. If no match is found, we will confirm this straight away.
If the details you provide are similar to or seem likely to match those of someone on the database, we will ask you to provide us with further identification in writing. Once we have verified your identity and confirmed whether your details match those on the database, we will contact you to confirm if information is held about you and provide you with a copy of it.
If when you call our Helpline you are unable to get through first time, please be patient. We have assigned as many staff as possible to this service, but if demand is very high it may take a while to get through.
Please wait until you have contacted us by telephone before writing to us. If we need you to write to us we will send you a ‘Request Pack’, detailing all the information you will need to provide.
What action is the ICO taking?
We have successfully prosecuted Ian Kerr, who operated The Consulting Association. We will update our website with any further developments in the case.
Whilst we will respond to written enquiries, we will be giving priority to those who wish to know whether information about them was held by The Consulting Association.
Which companies used The Consulting Association?
The list below shows the companies that subscribed to The Consulting Association. The use of brackets indicates where companies have undergone a change of name or where subsidiaries have been absorbed by parent companies. Ex members may no longer exist or no longer avail themselves of the service.
Amec Building Ltd
Amec Construction Ltd
Amec Facilities Ltd
Amec
Ind
Div
Amec Process & Energy Ltd
Amey Construction – Ex Member
B Sunley & Sons – Ex Member
Balfour Beatty
Balfour Kilpatrick
Ballast (Wiltshire) PLc – Ex Member
Bam Construction (HBC Construction)
Bam Nuttall (Edmund Nutall Ltd)
C B & I
Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd
Costain UK Ltd
Crown House Technologies
Read the ICO's legal statement regarding Crown House Technologies
(Carillion/Tarmac Const)
Diamond M & E Services
Dudley Bower & Co Ltd – Ex Member
Emcor (Drake & Scull) – ‘Ex Ref’
Emcor Rail
G Wimpey Ltd – Ex Member
Haden Young
Kier Ltd
John Mowlem Ltd – Ex Member
Laing O’Rourk (Laing Ltd)
Lovell Construction (UK) Ltd – Ex Member
Miller Construction Limited – Ex Member
Morgan Ashurst
Morgan Est
Morrison Construction Group – Ex Member
N G Bailey
Shepherd Engineering Services
Sias
Building
Services
Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd
Skanska (Kaverna/Trafalgar
House Plc)
SPIE (Matthew Hall) - Ex Member
Taylor Woodrow Construction Ltd – Ex Member
Turriff Construction Ltd –Ex Member
Tysons Contractors – Ex Member
Walter Llewellyn & Sons Ltd - Ex Member
Whessoe Oil & Gas
Willmott Dixon – Ex Member
Vinci PLC (Norwest Holst Group).
What action is the ICO proposing to take against these companies?
Our investigations have led us to believe that all the companies listed above have, at some point, used the services of The Consulting Association.
We have served Enforcement Notices to 14 of the companies that used the services of The Consulting Association
. To view the Enforcements Notices that we have served, click on the company names listed below.
Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Limited Enforcement Notice
Balfour Beatty Construction Northern Limited Enforcement Notice
Balfour Beatty Construction Scottish & Southern Limited Enforcement Notice
Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (HY) Limited Enforcement Notice
Balfour Beatty Engineering Services Limited Enforcement Notice
Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services Limited Enforcement Notice
CB&I UK Limited Enforcement Notice
Emcor Engineering Services Limited Enforcement Notice
Emcor Rail Limited Enforcement Notice
Kier Limited Enforcement Notice
NG Bailey Limited Enforcement Notice
Shepherd Engineering Services Limited Enforcement Notice
SIAS Building Services Limited Enforcement Notice
Whessoe Oil & Gas Limited Enforcement Notice
What about other intelligence databases I have heard of or believe may exist?
The ICO is committed to investigating any intelligence databases being operated in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998.
It is however very important to note that compiling and operating an intelligence database, even where this is done covertly, does not automatically breach the Data Protection Act. Each case must therefore be considered on its own merits.
If you believe you have evidence of an intelligence database being operated in breach of the Data Protection Act and wish to bring this to our attention please contact us.