DWP my privacy rights for bank statemnts

AH22

The DWP are asking me to pay back over £1200 ESA from 2021, saying I received money between Jan-April. I have the bank statements to prove I received no money from them during that period. I want to send the statements in but don't want them looking at all my incomings and outgoings. I want to send them either statements with only incomings or, if they insist, statements with all my outgoings blacked out. I don't want them seeing stuff about me buying a coffee here or a new pair of pants there......
What are my rights on this?
Surely this is a breach of my privacy?
Any advice - including who to ask for further info - gratefully received.
(Plus any advice on where to buy pants without the DWP watching also gratefully received).
  

sevenhills

Ask them for dates of the payments and account numbers?

HillStreetBlues

I would be wanting them to supply evidence of the any payments..
What does your paperwork state?

Penguin_

As above ask for payment dates & the account number(s) the amounts were paid into. 

AH22

That sounds good. They should have a record of the dates they alledgedly paid me. I still would want to black out other transactions. I'm expecting them to say they have the right to be given bank statements for the period covered without anything missing but I don't know my rights.

peteuk

As you are trying to prove no payments recieved then Im not sure how you would do this without sending your statements in.  As you are sending them, they have not asked them then its not a breach of your rights,

If they give you the dates you could just end them those dates and maybe one payment the day before/after so they know it’s complete. Eg they say you were paid £X on 25 Jan so you send them the following…

24 Jan Tesco £X
25 Jan  Amazon X
25 Jan Sky DD X
26 Jan TV lience X

That way they know it covers all the transactions on that day, 

AH22

Sounds like my rights aren't much use.  :<
Thanks. I know it sounds petty but, there we go. That's how they make you feel.

marcia_

 I really wouldn't worry about it. They wont be interested in what you spend your money on. 

They are looking for payments from them going in and will notice if you've had a spare £16k sitting in your account. Anything else they wont bat an eyelid 

NedS

As others have already mentioned, sending bank statements is pointless as it does not prove you haven't received something, only what you have received (you could have multiple other bank accounts). If you choose to send them your bank statements, then that is your choice to share that information and therefore there can be no invasion of your privacy as you have willingly provided the information.

As suggested previously, the first step would be to ascertain what bank account the payments were supposedly paid to. Only then is it useful to provide bank statements for that account for the payment dates to show you did not receive the payments.

TELLIT01

When I worked for DWP on claims processing we couldn't care less what money was being spent on, and didn't have time to look at every bank statement in detail.  I understand the concern, but it really is unnecessary.

Newcad

You are looking at this the wrong way round.

You don't have to show them anything (yet).

Ask them why they think they paid you ESA between Jan-April 2021, and what account they paid it into.
You need to know why they are saying that before you do anything else.

Have you ever actually claimed ESA?
Remember that for the period in question we were in lockdown, did you have to stop working and claim benefits?
Fit notes for ESA did not have to be sent in during lockdown, but did need to be sent later to cover the period..
Could you have made a cllaim for ESA, been paid it for a few months, but never sent in fit notes, and never had an assessment?

It's even possible that someone made a fraudulent claim using your details.
That will show up if the account it was paid into is not yours.
Although the frausters at that time usually targeted UC for the Advance Payments rather than ESA.