Privacy policy
You can manage cookies yourself and learn more about them on Directgov.
This page explains the privacy policy for the Department for Work and Pensions and how we will use and protect any information we collect about you when you visit this website.
- How DWP collects and uses information
- The Data Protection Act
- Cookies
- Links to other websites
- Changes to this privacy policy
How DWP collects and uses information
The Department for Work and Pensions collects information to deal with social security (including Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction schemes and Local Welfare Provision), 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 check information about you with other information we have. We may get information about you from other people and certain other organisations. We may give information to certain other organisations, as the law allows, to:
- check the accuracy of information
- prevent or detect crime
- protect public funds in other ways
- use in research or statistics.
These other organisations include other government departments, local authorities, and private-sector bodies such as banks and organisations that may lend you money. We will not give information about you to anyone outside our Department unless the law allows us to.
The Data Protection Act
The Department for Work and Pensions is the Data Controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act. Our website does not enable our visitors to communicate with other visitors or for them to post information to be accessed by others.
If you want to know more about what information we have about you, or the way we use your information see DWP and your personal information (58KB)
To find out how we look after the personal information we hold about you, see our Information charter (42KB)
Internet email is a way of making general enquiries but it is not a secure way to send personal information. DWP regrets that it cannot deal with specific enquiries by email. If you send us an email, we may keep a copy for reference and audit purposes.
Cookies
We want our services to be easy, useful and reliable. For services delivered on the internet, this sometimes involves placing small amounts of information on your device, for example, computer or mobile phone. These small files are known as cookies. They cannot be used to identify you personally.
These pieces of information are used to improve services by, for example:
- enabling a service to recognise your device so you don't have to give the same information several times during one task
- recognising that you may already have given a username and password so you don't need to do it for every web page requested
- measuring how many people are using services, so they can be made easier to use and there's enough capacity to ensure they are fast.
You can manage cookies yourself and learn more about them on GOV.UK.
If you delete cookies or you set your browser not to accept cookies, you will not be able to use some of our services.
You can manage cookies yourself and learn more about them on GOV.UK.
Links to other websites
The DWP website contains links to other sites. This privacy policy applies only to the DWP site. When you move to another website, you will need to read the privacy statement of that site.
Changes to this privacy policy
If this privacy policy changes, we will update this page. Check this page to make sure you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it and the circumstances we may share it with other organisations.
