A friend, who is on benefits, has been asked to take part in the Family Resources Survey. It seems this is part of the Office For National Statistics (ONS) who are doing the survey on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).

The survey visitors are exceedingly persistent. The interviewer came round four times (my friend was out each time), left their mobile number, left notes in the letterbox urging contact, provided a reply paid envelope, gave a helpline number and even sent a £10 cash voucher.

From what people have posted on other sites, this is a very detailed intrusive survey asking about your state benefits, bank balances which they ask to see, investments, how much interest you get and such like . It turns out the interviewer knows most of this already.

They explain that the survey data is shared between the ONS and DWP and say the data is anonymised for the survey and is confidential. I have seen the Family Resources Survey is referred to in official publications and seems to be a serious organisation, howeverdoes the information this survey collects also get passed on, as a sideline, to help review the status of individual benefits claimants?

no!!

Unless I was told I had no choice and it was a legal requirement I would not be having anything to do with it. Any persistent caller would be sent off with a flea in their ear...…

I remember a few years ago a similar thing, I had a man turn up out of the blue with council I.D. he said he wanted to check my details and made it sound like I had to let him in. He was asking who lived with me, what benefits I had etc and about my personal situation. He said I was selected randomly and he did this as a full time job. Nobody I knew had been visited. He came a 2nd time about a year later and I kept him at the door and i told him i felt like he was singling me out and why?...i asked him not to call again. He didn't.

It's poor practice for an interviewer to just turn up. Usually a letter is sent out in advance to the households who will be visited explaining what it's all about, what ID the interviewer will carry, the confidentiality of data etc.