PIP application study: Privacy notice

Who will have access to my personal data? 

For the purposes of data protection legislation, the DWP is the data controller and NatCen is the data processor for this research. DWP will not receive any personal data from NatCen. Any data shared with the DWP will be anonymised, either in the form of anonymised transcripts (which is voluntary and will only be shared with participants’ consent) or anonymised findings provided in the research report or presentation.

NatCen will carefully manage your personal data as part of our public task, which is our lawful basis for processing. All the information you provide will be held in strict confidence and held securely. This includes information held with our partners on this project, Criteria (research recruitment) and McGowan Transcriptions (research transcription). 

Both partner companies are vetted by NatCen with signed contracts and agreements already in place. These are refreshed every 12 months.

DWP will only receive the anonymised conversation data, which will be used for research purposes only. They will not know who has taken part.

How will my information be used?

The data collected will be used for research purposes only. 

NatCen will write a report about the main issues that people have talked about. NatCen will not name anyone in the report, and it will not be possible to identify anyone who took part in the conversations. The report will be published on the gov.uk website.

At no point will anyone in DWP be able to identify you.

The information you give us in the conversation will only be used for this study and will not be combined with data already held by the DWP.

Data retention

All data stored by NatCen will be deleted once the study has reported in March 2026.

Will I have access to the information I provide in the conversation?  

Yes, you can request access, but once the data has been made anonymous, we will not be able to change the results. However, you may request that your personal data be deleted or updated up until the 15th of January 2026. We will let you know whether this is possible.

Who do I  contact if I have a query or complaint? 

To contact the research team at NatCen, please email pip2digital@natcen.ac.uk or call 0800 652 4569 free of charge. 

If you would like to contact DWP about this research, please email htp.research@dwp.gov.uk. 

If you have any questions about how your data will be used, you can contact NatCen’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@natcen.ac.uk. 

If you have any questions about how your data will be used, please contact the NatCen’s Data Protection Officer:

Data Protection Officer
NatCen Social Research
Kings House,
101-135 Kings Rd,
Brentwood
CM14 4LX
Email: dpo@natcen.ac.uk

Data Protection Officers are responsible for upholding your rights and making sure we process your information correctly.

Under GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. 

Contact Information:

Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF,

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/