Fair processing notice trade profiles (find a buyer FAB, find a supplier FAS)

Information provided whilst using this service, including personal information, may be published or disclosed in accordance with access to information regimes, primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and UK Data Protection legislation.

The Department for Business and Trade will process personal data supplied in this service in accordance with the Data Protection Act (DPA). The information you provide will be processed on a lawful basis in Find a Buyer (FAB) and Find a Supplier (FAS) to enable DBT to perform a task in the public interest or to fulfil an official function, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.

This information will be shared within the department and with selected third parties for purposes connected with DBT performing a task in the public interest or to fulfil an official function and the task or function has a clear basis in law, including:

• Find A Buyer (FAB) part of the trade profiles service that allows a UK company to market themselves to overseas buyers by creating a company profile. Find a Supplier (FAS) is the international facing part of Trade Profiles that allows overseas buyers to find UK suppliers
• Publishing verified trade profiles in trade.gov.uk to promote UK business internationally
• Allow international buyers to contact UK suppliers who have published a profile via email
• Showcase companies with trade profiles in our industry pages to promote interest from international buyers
• To manage relationships with businesses the department is supporting to trade or invest internationally
• To identify and secure international and UK based opportunities
• To identify businesses with the greatest propensity to trade or invest and direct them to the most appropriate advice, events and services
• To evaluate the impact of trade and investment services
• To better understand the trade and investment environment
• To better understand the domestic and international business landscape
• To target financial support at businesses to secure trade and investment opportunities
• To process business applications to access trade and investment related advice and services
• To understand barriers to trade and investment
• To design effective and intelligent trade and investment policy, services and make business decision

Third parties with whom information will be shared are:

• Kantar public
• Local Enterprise Partnerships and trade bodies
• Devolved Administrations
• Allan Webb – data entry services
• Adetiq
• UK Export Finance

Aggregated analysis of responses may also be shared with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) and the National Audit Office (NAO) and Kantar Public.

Consent will be sought in accordance with the DPA should there be a requirement to share information with any other third parties outside of those listed above. If you want the information you provide to be treated confidentially, please be aware that, in accordance with the FOIA, public authorities are required to comply with a statutory code of practice which deals, amongst other things, with obligations of confidence. In view of this, it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you wish that information to be treated confidentially. If we receive a request for disclosure of that information, we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances.