<p>DWP and your personal information
Why we collect personal information
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) collects information for the
purposes of social security (including Housing Benefit and Council Tax
Benefit), child support, vaccine damage, employment and training, the
Financial Assistance Scheme, promoting financial planning for retirement, and
policy relating to occupational and personal pension schemes. The
information we collect about you depends on the reason for your business
with us, but we may use the information for any of these purposes. We may
also use information about you to carry out research about how effective our
services are.
The information we have about you
The information we keep can include:
•
forms you have completed and given to us
• claims you have made over the phone
•
letters you have sent to us
• details of any checks we make to make sure information we have is right,
and
• computer records to do with your business with the Department.
Information we get from or give to other organisations
As well as checking the information provided with any information we already
have, we may get information about you from other people and other
organisations, as the law allows.
We may also give information to certain other organisations. This can be
because:
•
the law (including the Data Protection Act) allows us to, or says we have to
• a Court Order says it is necessary, or
• you have given your permission.
The organisations we may give information to, or receive it from, include other
government departments and their agencies, in particular Her Majesty’s
Revenue and Customs (HMRC); local authorities; banks, building societies
and other financial bodies; BBC TV licensing; credit reference agencies; utility
providers; educational and academic bodies; the Learning and Skills Council;
research organisations; health service providers; law enforcement agencies
including the Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency; the Assets
Rec