Recording telephone conversations

You asked

Please could you provide a response to the following questions:

1. Do you have any guidance or policy for the public or service users to record calls when they speak to your staff or call centres? Do you Inform Users they can record? If the answer is no what is the reason for this please if so do send me a copy?

2. If you have an unacceptable behaviour policy and procedure can you tell me if one of these are to object to telephone calls being recorded by the caller due to it not being necessary or unwanted or indeed the staff member feels threatened?

3. Are your staff aware of the policies regarding telephone recordings?

4. If you have no policy advice or framework for the above will you develop a policy?

5. What are your organisations views on charging the public in Freedom of Information requests, Data Protection and subject access requests?

6. What do you do and what is your policy when a serious complaint against a staff member is made?

We said

Thank you for your request.

The purpose of the Freedom of Information Act is to provide the public with access to information held by public authorities. There is no requirement on a public authority to create information, therefore the answer to the majority of your queries is 'information not held'. However we can provide the following information:

1. We do not provide any guidance to the public as regards to the public recording their own telephone calls with us.

2. We do not have a policy regarding unacceptable behaviour by members of the public.

3. Information not held

4. Information not held

5. Our current policy is not to charge for requests made under either the Freedom of Information Act or Data Protection Legislation and have no plans to change this.

6. Our complaint policy is available online here -> https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/contactus/complaintspolicy