Further information on the Customer Contact Survey

1. Why did I get this letter?

You received this letter to let you know that a market research survey is taking place shortly, and that you may be contacted and asked to take part. We have asked a survey company, Ipsos B&A, to find out about your experiences with your local Intreo centre or branch office. Ipsos B&A may be ringing you to ask a few questions.

You do not have to take part in this survey. If you do not want to be contacted about the survey, please contact us at CustomerSatisfactionSurvey@welfare.ie providing the unique identifier from your letter and we will remove you from the survey.

2. How was I selected?

You were randomly selected to take part in the survey. The department put together a list of contacts for Ipsos B&A, only including the details below (see Question 3). Ipsos B&A are contacting a sample of people who were either currently in receipt of one of the following payments, or made an application for one in the past year:

Carer’s Allowance
Disability Allowance
Jobseekers payment (e.g. Jobseekers Allowance, Jobseekers Benefit, etc.)
Pension (Contributory or Non-Contributory)

3. What details has the company been provided with?

The department will provide Ipsos B&A with your name and phone number only for the purpose of this one survey. The company will also be provided with some description of what category you fall into, as follows:

• sex
• whether you are under 30 or over 30 years of age
• your geographical region
• which payment (outlined in Q2) you applied for or are in receipt of
• whether your application was made in the last 12 months or in the 3 years prior

They will not get any other information.

No data will be shared with Ipsos B&A before 02 December 2025, to give you time to opt out if you wish (see Question 7 below).

4. How will they contact me?

Ipsos B&A may call you by phone and ask you questions from the survey. They will only collect one response per person.

5. What happens after the survey is done?

Once the survey is done, any details about respondents provided to Ipsos B&A will be deleted from their records. All the results will be anonymised; they will not be linked to you. Ipsos B&A will break down the results, for example, to compare responses from men and women, or from those under 30 and over 30. Your answers, or choosing not to take part, cannot affect any current or future claim you might have with the department in any way.

At the end of the survey, Ipsos B&A will ask on behalf of the department if you may wish to be part of a focus group in the future. If you agree, they will ask for your name and phone number. The details you provide will not be linked to your answers, and your details will not be passed on to the Department.

6. Why is it important to take part in this survey?

We want to understand how customers feel about getting in touch with the Department of Social Protection. To do this we would be grateful if you answer the survey questions and let us know your thoughts and experiences. The survey will only take a few minutes.

7. Is the department allowed to use my information in this way?

The department can contact customers for research purposes once other requirements in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Irish Data Protection Acts are met. Ipsos B&A are contracted agents of the Statistics Unit of the Department for this survey.

The department and Ipsos B&A have a Data Processing agreement in place. This means that by law Ipsos B&A can only use your data for the purposes of this survey. It also means they must keep your data safe and secure at all times. Your answers are totally private and confidential – they cannot affect any current or future claim you might have with the department in any way. You do not have to take part in this survey. If you do not want to be contacted about the survey, please contact us at CustomerSatisfactionSurvey@welfare.ie providing the unique identifier from your letter and we will remove you from the survey.

For more information, please contact the Department of Social Protection by email at CustomerSatisfactionSurvey@welfare.ie or by phone at
0818 40 50 60, or see:

Surveys in the Department of Social Protection.

or Case Study 10, 2003,

November 2025