Chasing up a Right of Access Request

Robbie64

I submitted a Right of Access request (previously known as a Subject Access Request) to the DWP on 30 September 2025. On 7 October 2025 I received an acknowledgement of the request (by text) with a message that "We will reply within one month. You do not need to contact us". To date I haven't heard back from them. It is now over 6 weeks since I received the text.

What would anyone advise? Waiting a while longer? If so, how much longer? Also, if I do contact the DWP about the lack of reply, who do I contact? I submitted an online request. There used to be an email address where it was possible to contact whoever gets these RoA request but it was removed from the DWP website a while ago.

The request was for all information relating to both ESA and UC claims so I don't know if asking for two lots of benefits would slow down receiving the information. In the past I would simply ask for everything relating to ESA (as both conts based and income related ESA were dealt with by the same computer system) but had to migrate to UC in May 2025 and also receive conts based / new style ESA so now have had to ask for two lots of printouts instead of just one.

Thanks for any reply.

huckster

I would wait another 3 weeks unless it was urgent.

At the moment DWP have high work volumes due to remaining part of the migration process and increase in benefit claims being made.

Because you have asked for 2 different benefits, that is two different departments collecting all of the information and then someone having to put it all together, plus check it all.

marcia_

huckster said:

I would wait another 3 weeks unless it was urgent.

At the moment DWP have high work volumes due to remaining part of the migration process and increase in benefit claims being made.

Because you have asked for 2 different benefits, that is two different departments collecting all of the information and then someone having to put it all together, plus check it all.

 Thats not how it works. They will have a dedicated HR department dealing with access requests. It wont be individual people from each department gathering the information, nor using the people who process claims. 

Robbie64

marcia_ said:

huckster said:

I would wait another 3 weeks unless it was urgent.

At the moment DWP have high work volumes due to remaining part of the migration process and increase in benefit claims being made.

Because you have asked for 2 different benefits, that is two different departments collecting all of the information and then someone having to put it all together, plus check it all.

 Thats not how it works. They will have a dedicated HR department dealing with access requests. It wont be individual people from each department gathering the information, nor using the people who process claims. 

I did think that for clerical information the DWP would need someone to scan or photocopy the information, unless all clerical papers are digitised. For everything else, the information should be held on computer and therefore can easily be printed out. I've made successful RoA requests before and it does seem that the office that deals with the request does sent the resuest to a DWP office elsewhere to obtain everything that is needed. There's been a control sheet attached to two of my requests which shows who was what and when.

In the past I've received a mixture of computer printouts, all printed in one go (there was a timestamp on each sheet of paper and it ran to hundreds of sheets. I'm sure the timestamp was the same or very similar on each sheet) and a number of documents with, as far as I can remember, no timestamp. I did wonder if it was necessary to obtain some printouts from the office that dealt with a claim to check for documents that may not have been scanned to the computer system (eg for a WCA outcome where certain documents may only be held for a short while before being sent for archive or before being destroyed). 

Newcad

See the ICO advice on timelines to reply (and delaying extensions that can be used by organisation) - noting that it may be changing because of new legislation:

https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/time-limits-for-responding-to-data-protection-rights-requests/

If the DWP are not complying then raise a complaint with the ICO.

https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

PS. The DWP will game the system and delay replying to the max. I've not personally had it with a SAR, but have had multiple times with answers to FOI requests being late. (And yes I've had the ICO involved with some).

huckster

marcia_ said:

huckster said:

I would wait another 3 weeks unless it was urgent.

At the moment DWP have high work volumes due to remaining part of the migration process and increase in benefit claims being made.

Because you have asked for 2 different benefits, that is two different departments collecting all of the information and then someone having to put it all together, plus check it all.

 Thats not how it works. They will have a dedicated HR department dealing with access requests. It wont be individual people from each department gathering the information, nor using the people who process claims. 

DWP have support teams within benefit operations with access to all of the systems, so they can provide all of the information.  

Robbie64

I'll wait until after next weekend, which will have given them 8 weeks from sending the acknowledgement on 07/10/25. I'll need to find the most appropriate place to send a follow up. I did a search on Google and from a post on Reddit, I found a DWP email address though whether that is the correct one I'll possibly soon find out.

Bemmy2525

It took 4 months before I got my Right of Access paperwork, I requested all information regarding my benefits since 2010 and dates for when I received Carers Allowance(I needed a NI Number for proof of right to work) and a massive parcel with over 2000 pages eventually turned up. It can take a while for them to compile the information, if they have acknowledged the request then they will sent it eventually. They even sent it to my new address because I moved before I received it.

Robbie64

Bemmy2525 said:

It took 4 months before I got my Right of Access paperwork, I requested all information regarding my benefits since 2010 and dates for when I received Carers Allowance(I needed a NI Number for proof of right to work) and a massive parcel with over 2000 pages eventually turned up. It can take a while for them to compile the information, if they have acknowledged the request then they will sent it eventually. They even sent it to my new address because I moved before I received it.

How long ago was it when you did your Right of Access request?

The last time I did a RoA request was May 2024 and it took about 6 or 7 weeks, so about the same length of time I've currently been waiting for this one.

Bemmy2525

Robbie64 said:

Bemmy2525 said:

It took 4 months before I got my Right of Access paperwork, I requested all information regarding my benefits since 2010 and dates for when I received Carers Allowance(I needed a NI Number for proof of right to work) and a massive parcel with over 2000 pages eventually turned up. It can take a while for them to compile the information, if they have acknowledged the request then they will sent it eventually. They even sent it to my new address because I moved before I received it.

How long ago was it when you did your Right of Access request?

The last time I did a RoA request was May 2024 and it took about 6 or 7 weeks, so about the same length of time I've currently been waiting for this one.

I did my RoA in early May 2025, turned up in September. A friend of mine was waiting 5 months even though she only requested a small amount of info. 2-3 months seems to be the average waiting time.

huckster

Curious as to why people submit RoA's?

I can understand it, if there were benefit errors and they wanted to pursue this. But I wonder how useful the information is.