Is the British Embassy compliant with Data Protection ?

[crazydrummerpauly]

Hi all. I wasn't sure which Forum to post this in - it is definitely relevant to everyone putting their personal details as part of an application for a UK Visa of any kind, but there are implications for all UK citizens who do anything that will require involvement with the British Embassy, Bangkok. Ok, this is the issue : an old friend of mine, now sadly passed away, was living in Isaan for more than 5 years, and about half way through that time he got married to a Thai 'lady' who was the eventual cause of his demise (another story). Not long after the wedding - maybe a couple of months - he noticed that his UK State Pension had stopped being paid into his Thai bank account. He wasn't much good with email or phones, so he waited until he was next back in the UK and went in person to his local Social Security office to ask the obvious question : Why has my pension been stopped ? Tap tap on the computer keyboard...'Oh Mr.X - that is because we learned that you have married a Thai woman.' It turned out that up until April 2010 (i might be a year out) - UK guys could get an INCREASE after marrying a Thai female who could be termed a 'Dependent'. (This has been scrapped btw.) So my old mate got a 50% increase in his monthly pension, which was very welcome. BUT - my point here is - HOW did the DSS (or whatever they are now called) - FIND OUT about his marriage ? There is only one answer - by being hooked up to the Bangkok British Embassy where he of course had to go to get his 'Free To Marry' document after proving to them he was Single or Divorced. He was 100% sure that he had had no contact with any other government office at all. Really, he was the kind of guy who gets baffled by the simplest form, and needed help with everything - he just didn't do 'contact' with anyone in authority, and he did not tell anyone in authority that he had got married. I am sure as i can be that the Embassy informed the DSS about his change of circumstance. The fact that in this case it was to his advantage, is neither here nor there - it's the whole bureaucratic process i'm interested in.

What i'd like to hear about, rather than a lot of opinions about this question one way or the other - is members EXPERIENCES, IF they have a similar story of possible transfer of private information direct from the British Embassy to other government offices back in the UK. I think this is a genuinely big issue for UK citizens who have to virtually open up every detail of their lives in the process of helping a Thai to get a UK Visa of any kind. [And before anyone thinks it's worth doing : could the "If you've got nothing to hide what's there to worry about" brigade just go and make tea instead of hitting the keyboard ? :-)]

[Satcommlee]

They are absolutley compliant... They have no choice... request anything you want (within the rules) and they have to answer within 40 days!

edit: you can actually ask how much money they spend on Ferrero Roche, they (or FCO) have to answer LOL

Edited April 3, 2014 by Satcommlee

[thepool]

I have read some BS in my time but this must be the best !

[Satcommlee]

I have read some BS in my time but this must be the best !

If you need some references, I suggest you try goggle!

The FOI act has been abused to high hell!

[beano2274]

to get married to a Thai your friend would have had to do an Affirmation of Freedom to Marry and have this signed at the Embassy, also to get a visa to stay here he might have used the Retirement way, so again he had to inform the Pension offices that he required a letter from them, also he would have had to take the letter to the Embassy to get certified, so no secrets there.

All Government offices are duly bound to inform others about changes of information, but again your friend could have done it.

I suggest that finding out the whole story would have been beneficial before posting.

Edited April 3, 2014 by beano2274

[durhamboy]

Not totally relevant to the OP's main point but it has always made me wonder how the Dept. of Works & Pensions know when to stop paying a state pension when a pensioner who is living abroad dies. Also applies to private pensions. Are pensions still being paid to dead people - maybe into joint a/cs?

[evadgib]

To claim a pension for spouse in the first place DWP would have needed proof of marriage, furthermore they (DWP) issue random 'proof of life' documents which at the time in question were signed free of charge by the Embassy.

Re Post #6:

https://www.gov.uk/tell-us-once

HTH

[7by7]

Not totally relevant to the OP's main point but it has always made me wonder how the Dept. of Works & Pensions know when to stop paying a state pension when a pensioner who is living abroad dies. Also applies to private pensions. Are pensions still being paid to dead people - maybe into joint a/cs?

I think the answers are:

• They don't; unless someone informs them.
• Yes!

[crazykopite]

Not totally relevant to the OP's main point but it has always made me wonder how the Dept. of Works & Pensions know when to stop paying a state pension when a pensioner who is living abroad dies. Also applies to private pensions. Are pensions still being paid to dead people - maybe into joint a/cs?

My understanding is that in case of death the British Embassy has to be informed before the deceased can be released for local burial/cremation so it would be registered with them and in turn the relevant separtments would be informed .

[crazykopite]

I never understand why people who choose to live abroad are not prepared to release this information to those concerned unless they are claiming pension/benefits based on deceit an example would be using a family members address in the UK in order to obtain yearly increases. when I left the UK I informed my life insurance company to make sure that I would still be covered , HMRC and my service pension providers , every few years I am contacted by mail and asked to confirm my contact details in order to determine that I am still alive Big Brother is out there watching us all whether it be by txt message or emails that we send those who cheat the system at some stage will be caught it's only a matter of time . It was good to hear that the late friend had his pension increased by 50% on a point those of pension age who return back to the Uk should go to there local office and inform the office of the dates spent in the UK as an example lets say you go for a two week holiday whilst in the Uk during that period you would be entitled to the full UK pension .

[asdecas]

Perhaps the OP is showing his age somewhat. The pre-computer days when one could lead a life of easy anonymity in the certain knowledge that government's left hand did not know what the right was doing have to a large extent disappeared. However there remains the serendipitous ability of bureaucracies everywhere to scramble, misfile, misinterpret and mislay information, often to one's advantage, sometimes to one's detriment.

[FatController]

Not totally relevant to the OP's main point but it has always made me wonder how the Dept. of Works & Pensions know when to stop paying a state pension when a pensioner who is living abroad dies. Also applies to private pensions. Are pensions still being paid to dead people - maybe into joint a/cs?

My understanding is that in case of death the British Embassy has to be informed before the deceased can be released for local burial/cremation so it would be registered with them and in turn the relevant separtments would be informed .

Whilst the British embassy has to authorise release of a body I do not believe that there is any mechanism for them to advise any authority in the UK.

The current fee for registering a death is £105.00 and each certified copy of entrydocument requested is £65.00 e.g. one registration document costs £105.00 +£65.00 = £170.00; This is all that happens:-

Consular death registration is not a legal requirement but it means:

If you register a death in Thailand, an entry will be made in the death register by the British Embassy in Bangkok

you will be able to obtain a British style death document.

a record of the death will be held by the General Register Office in the UK

[GAZZPA]

Perhaps the OP is showing his age somewhat. The pre-computer days when one could lead a life of easy anonymity in the certain knowledge that government's left hand did not know what the right was doing have to a large extent disappeared. However there remains the serendipitous ability of bureaucracies everywhere to scramble, misfile, misinterpret and mislay information, often to one's advantage, sometimes to one's detriment.

Not true. There is no central database holding all information about you shared by all government departments, this is a total myth.

However, if you were say a wanted man (or woman) it is certainly feasible that the police can access information on you to try and find you using information from different departments. But it is only if they look for it, it is not simply brought up on a computer screen for all to see.

The reality is that we are all on many different databases and that is here to stay but no one has access to everything on you.

[durhamboy]

I somehow doubt that everything is "joined up" and if a British death is registered at the embassy then the DWP would not be informed. Also I believe that many non-Brits and those with dual nationality have UK state and private pensions and I think that there are many payments being spurted out of the system(s) to people that are long dead and joint account holders are "keeping quiet".

[crazydrummerpauly]

to get married to a Thai your friend would have had to do an Affirmation of Freedom to Marry and have this signed at the Embassy, also to get a visa to stay here he might have used the Retirement way, so again he had to inform the Pension offices that he required a letter from them, also he would have had to take the letter to the Embassy to get certified, so no secrets there.

All Government offices are duly bound to inform others about changes of information, but again your friend could have done it.

I suggest that finding out the whole story would have been beneficial before posting.

So you know for certain that : "All Government offices are duly bound to inform others about changes of information" do you ? Please supply references ?

I suggest that the sarcasm contained in your : "I suggest that finding out the whole story would have been beneficial before posting" is unacceptable and unnecessary, but if it makes you feel better, carry on. I told everything i know - i.e. 'the whole story'. Nothing more to find out, as i pointed out - he is dead.

As for your first paragraph, you merely repeat what i'd written in different words - his visit to the Embassy being the whole starting point of my post.

[crazydrummerpauly]

To claim a pension for spouse in the first place DWP would have needed proof of marriage, furthermore they (DWP) issue random 'proof of life' documents which at the time in question were signed free of charge by the Embassy.

Re Post #6:

https://www.gov.uk/tell-us-once

HTH

You've not understood the post. He was in receipt of the NORMAL Old Age Pension from the UK government, which of course you don't need to be married to get. He was given the extra pension for his Thai wife AUTOMATICALLY - that's the whole point of my post.

[crazydrummerpauly]

Just for info : I will look elsewhere for clarification of this issue, and will not check back to follow the topic.