Letters from citizens, information requests and communications
Processing of personal data
We receive letters, feedback, questions and information requests concerning our sector sent to ministers and ministries by private persons, stakeholders, representatives and journalists. All letters from citizens and other contacts that include personal data should be sent to the registry office (kirjaamo.tem(at)gov.fi), where they are registered in the VAHVA case management system.
Registration demonstrates the receipt of the document, enables the monitoring of the document processing steps, assists in the realisation of the document publicity principle and provides a subject index of the registered documents, as well as reports and statistics.
The government’s VAHVA case management system is an electronic case register and document management system. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment is the controller of the data it has stored and is responsible for the accuracy and updatedness of the stored data.
What data do we collect on you in connection with letters from citizens and other contacts?
The personal data we store depend on what information you have provided when you contacted us. The name details are needed to identify the person who has initiated a case, and the contact information is needed for any answer we send.
We retain the data in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Office’s information management plan. What this means in practice is that the letters from citizens that we answer are retained permanently. However, letters from citizens for which no action is needed are retained for two years from the end of the government term. Information requests and document requests are retained for 10 years. We do not permanently retain brief information requests by journalists and other stakeholders for which direct email answers have been provided.
What is our data processing based on?
We process your personal data to comply with our statutory obligation or to perform a task concerning the public interest.
The tasks of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment are laid down in the following, among others:
- Government Decree on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
- Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment Decree on the Rules of Procedure of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
Disclosure and transfer of personal data
We may disclose personal data, upon request, in accordance with the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
We do not disclose your personal data for direct marketing, market surveys, and opinion polls.