A woman down the road ‘phoned me to tell me that she’d discovered, in her own mail from a major financial institution, three sheets of paper containing details of my pension. I’m annoyed that someone who lives so close should know about my pension arrangements, and I wondered if I’m entitled to any redress from the firm?
Under the data protection legislation companies must take adequate measures to ensure confidentiality for their customers. However the fact that something goes astray once in a while is not conclusive proof that the measures taken by your financial institution are insufficient. If things go wrong on a regular basis you should contact the Office of the Data Protection Registrar. You would have to be able to prove that you had suffered actual damage – say lost your job – in order to qualify for compensation.