Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the compatibility of plans to access to benefit claimants' bank accounts with existing (a) data protection restrictions and (b) human rights privacy rights.

The Eligibility Verification Measure will not give DWP access to any bank accounts, nor any information as to what claimants spend their money on. The proposed new power instead helps verify benefit eligibility, using very limited information from banks and other financial institutions

DWP will ensure that any data is processed and held in compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The Department routinely handles large volumes of data and has robust security processes in place to manage this. The department will conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment at the appropriate time.

DWP will also ensure that any interference with the rights to private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights is justified as in accordance with the law and proportionate