Asked by The Countess of Mar:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what circumstances Royal Mail staff are required to open correspondence to the Department for Work and Pensions from claimants containing confidential medical information, as reported in the Independent on 8 September 2012; what special qualifications Royal Mail staff have to perform this function; whether claimants are aware of this practice; and how frequently the Royal Mail service is used. [HL2411]

A summary of the reply on 17th Oct 2012 from Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud):

• the contract with Balfour Beatty Workplace began in March 2007;
• Balfour Beatty Workplace uses Royal Mail as a subcontractor to open DWP and ATOS post at Royal Mail opening units and to deliver opened and pre-sorted post to offices;
• it is in line with EU law;
• it offers significant cost savings and efficiencies;
• strict security requirements are specified;
• Balfour Beatty Workplace, as the lead contractor, audit the Royal Mail to ensure compliance;
• the DWP website informs people how they will use personal data in the section: “DWP-your-personal-information”;
• they are obliged to supply this information only when asked for it in writing and are allowed to charge a fee for this information, although the usual policy is not to charge;
• DWP complies at all times with the data protection principles.

Read the full written answer