Allocation Questionnaire (N149): pseudonymise personal data before filing – UK GDPR-compliant anonymisation
A Directions Questionnaire (formerly Allocation Questionnaire, Form N149) is the court form in which parties provide information about witnesses, experts, and costs to assist case management; anonym.legal pseudonymises witness names and expert details in draft questionnaires — according to HMCTS, over 1.4 million claims were issued in 2023, and a Directions Questionnaire is required in the majority of defended cases.
When this applies
Applies when a solicitor is completing a Directions Questionnaire listing witnesses or experts. The small claims track threshold is £10,000 (or £1,000 for personal injury and £1,500 for housing disrepair); data shows that questionnaires at every track level can reference 3 or more witnesses with personal data requiring protection.
How anonym.legal handles it
- Upload the draft Directions Questionnaire in DOCX or PDF.
- anonym.legal identifies witness names, expert names, and any personal details in the questionnaire fields.
- Pseudonyms are assigned consistently for all named individuals.
- Case management information — hearing windows, track preference, costs estimate — is preserved.
- Re-identify from the mapping key before filing the final form with the court.
What you provide
- Draft Directions Questionnaire / N149 (DOCX or PDF)
- Party-names allow-list
Limitations & cautions
- The filed questionnaire must contain accurate, complete, and un-pseudonymised information — always re-identify before submission.
- Costs information in the questionnaire is preserved as-is and is not verified by anonym.legal.
- Submitting third-party personal data without appropriate data-minimisation measures can attract UK GDPR fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover under DPA 2018 s.157.
FAQ
Can I process the N149 and costs schedule together in one session?
Yes — upload both documents in the same session for consistent pseudonymisation. Research shows that costs schedules in multi-track cases above £25,000 can name 5 or more fee earners whose personal data benefits from pseudonymisation.
Does anonym.legal support the small claims track version of the questionnaire?
The same processing workflow applies regardless of track — the engine processes the uploaded form without regard to which track is indicated. The small claims track threshold is £10,000.
What is the deadline for filing the Directions Questionnaire with the court?
Deadlines are set by the court in the notice of proposed allocation. anonym.legal does not monitor court deadlines — according to the Civil Procedure Rules 1998, non-compliance can result in sanctions including strike-out, so the solicitor must manage deadlines independently.