The Insolvency Service is an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. Official Receivers in England and Wales are Insolvency Service staff.

This Privacy Policy Statement explains how we protect and respect information we collect from you while you are using our website. It explains how The Insolvency Service uses any information you give to us and the ways in which we protect your privacy.

The Data Protection Act

Under the Data Protection Act, we have a legal duty to protect any information we collect from you. We use leading technologies and encryption software to safeguard any information provided by bankrupts on our Bankruptcy Preliminary Information Interactive Questionnaire and we keep strict security standards to prevent any unauthorised access to it.

What information do we collect?

1. Using our website

You do not have to register or enter any personal details to use our website. We only collect information where stated, for example when you order any  publications or email your comments to us you are asked to enter details so we can reply to you. These forms do not store or capture personal information but merely log the user's IP address, which is automatically recognised by the web server. This website does not use cookies for collecting user information from the site. Information collected generally on the website is only collected for the purpose stated and we do not pass on your details to any third party or government department unless you give us permission to do so.

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2. The Enforcement Hotline

Information provided in the hotline questionnaire is sent to us by email. This information is not captured or stored by the website. The personal information you provide is used by our Enforcement Directorate to contact you further regarding your complaint.

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3. Using the Interactive Questionnaire if you are bankrupt

If you are bankrupt and provide required information to the Official Receiver by using our interactive questionnaire we will collect and store personally identifiable information about you – just as we do if you provide the required information in the traditional paper publication questionnaire. 

The information in the interactive questionnaire can only be accessed using your username and a password, which you choose. We do not pass these on to any third party or government department. The information you provide in the interactive questionnaire is transmitted to us using encryption software and stored securely.

Once received by The Insolvency Service the information will be accessed by authorised personnel in the Official Receiver's Office dealing with the administration of your bankruptcy estate. 

The Insolvency Service uses the information provided by you to administer your insolvent estate. The Insolvency Service will not sell your personally identifiable information to anyone.  

If you are bankrupt personally identifiable information about you will be on the Individual Insolvency Register, which is a public register and records you name, address, date of birth, the date of your bankruptcy order and date of discharge. Some of this information will be verified against the information you provide in the interactive questionnaire.  

The Insolvency Service will only send personally identifiable information about you to other government departments, companies or people when: 

• the Official Receiver requires information in the course of his enquiries from third parties;

• we are required by law to provide information to others (e.g. the Inland Revenue); 

• we have your consent to share the information; 

• we respond to court orders or other legal processes. 

What happens when you link to another site? 

www.insolvency.gov.uk contains links to websites of other government departments and other organisations. This privacy policy applies only to our site, so you should always be aware when you are moving to another site and read the privacy statement of any site which collects personal information.

Changes to this privacy policy 

If this privacy policy changes in any way, we will place an updated version on this page. Regularly reviewing this page ensures you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we will share it with other parties.