Universal Credit Review Or a Invasion of My Privacy

Catherine21

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/975493#Comment_975493

What is ICO

Topcat71

I uploaded the statements today but it does feel intrusive that I am giving itemised statements. I just hope they don't think badly of me when they see monthly payment to Whips & Chains magazine.

Ranald

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/975519#Comment_975519

Twelve quid! I'll never again moan about the £7 I pay.

MCMikey

Yes as others have previously mentioned, they are looking for larger and more unusual payments in and out, but sometimes inspectors may pick up on smaller payments. A few years ago my friend's dad paid him £50 to help him out and this was picked up on. His dad had to write a letter saying it was a gift and all was ok.

You can receive gifts (money) even large amounts as long as they are not recurring set payments. If a relative of yours wanted to give you £2,000 to help you out that's ok, but what I would do is before receiving it inform the DWP explain the circumstances and ask if it's ok and they will undoubtedly say yes.

You can buy yourself reasonably priced car, but there's a grey area. If you had a million pounds in your bank account before claiming UC and went out and bought a top Ferrari for £994,000 leaving you £6,000 in your bank this will be seen as deprivation of capital!

There are lots of grey areas. Quite recently my mother passed away and I paid the funeral directors a deposit of £500 as I couldn't yet get any access any money from the estate. Under the circumstances I didn't have the time or strength to start asking the DWP, I simply assumed this was allowable.

Again quite recently, with my 22 year old car becoming unreliable and set for the scrap heap, I asked that DWP if rather than buying another cheap run about for myself if I could share my brother's car who's retired and rarely uses it and who lives nearby as a name driver and pay him half the cost of his car (c. £4,000) and then ongoing share the associated MOT bills etc. They messaged back saying we cannot advise you on what to spend your money on. I took this as an ok, so if at some point in the future they ask for my bank statements and question this payment, I can then refer them to my journal where I asked the question and point them to their response.

So in answer to the original questioner, on your statements if you can reasonably explain all your payments in and out then you'll be ok.

OverlyAnxious

The UC response was correct, they cannot advise on what you spend money on. That response will not be of any use at all if a decision maker decides there was deprivation of capital later on. This is one of of the frustrating things with UC, they can't confirm or deny any changes until after you've made them, and it goes to a decision maker. By that point, it is obviously too late to undo it!

TG0601

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/975654#Comment_975654

They are the Information Commissioner’s Office. They enforce data protection laws (GDPR) & protect individuals privacy. If the DWP didn’t provide anyone with their right to be informed (personal information charter) at the point of collecting bank statements etc it’s a breach of GDPR laws under the Transparency prong. Bank statements include personal & private information which is a privacy breach.

Fibleepy

I’ve recently had a UC review and it IS intrusive to have your bank statements analysed. They only queried a couple of large outgoing payments which I could easily explain and they were happy and I passed the review. I will be getting cash out of my account more often from now on though so that they can’t see what I’m spending on.

Heather25

Heather25

I have a review next week and have to upload bank statements as well and my building society, I don't have more money than I have said, but it is upsetting any way. It is very stressful now going to the job centre to what it used to be in the past which does not help you find or get a job it has the opposite effect on people like myself who struggle with interviews etc.

Albus_Scope

Hey @Heather25 and welcome to the community. 😊

Sorry it's stressing you out, I remember I was panicking about my review, despite having no reason to! Hopefully they won't keep you in the review for too long, mine lasted about 20 minutes.