Over 1,100 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff have been given official warnings for spying on confidential benefit records in the last five years, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed.
DWP staff who accessed confidential records of those in receipt of state pension and a number of different benefits and tax credits, including Jobseeker’s Allowance and Child Benefits, were given official warnings for the “inappropriate access or browsing of personal/customer records”. 585 were given final written warnings.
Staff were also warned against using DWP IT systems to send private emails or accessing inappropriate websites, such as pornography sites.
A spokesperson for the DWP told the Telegraph:
“DWP is the biggest Government department and over this five-year period we have employed over 150,000 people with the vast majority adhering to the professional standards.
“DWP takes inappropriate use of IT systems very seriously which is why we monitor daily usage and have robust policies in place to deal with the minority of cases of abuse.”
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