Summary
This page deals with data protection and what happens to the information provided by you to the council.
What can happen to information you have provided?
If you make a claim for housing and/or council tax benefit you should understand that we can use any information provided by you in connection with your claim and any other claim for social security benefits that you have made or make. We may give some information to other organisations, such as governement departments, local authorities and private sector companies like banks and other organisations that may lend you money, if the law allow this. This in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998
National Fraud Initiative data matching exercise
The council is participating in the National Fraud Initiative data matching exercise for 2008. This is a two yearly exercise which is organised and supervised by the Audit Commission and is governed by the requirements of the Audit Commission Act 1988. The National Fraud Initiative was started by central government in 1996 and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council has participated in this bi-annual exercise since then.
Under the Act, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council is required as a public body to share its data relating to employees, councillors and customers with the Audit Commission. This data will then be compared to other records sent to the audit commission by all government bodies such as local authorities, police authorities, government departments and the National Health Service.
The purpose of the National Fraud Initiative exercise is to identify where data held by one government body is different to information held by another public body, for example where wage payments to local government employees have not been declared on state benefit claims. As a result of National Fraud Initiative work £450m of fraud has been detected. The last time the National Fraud Initiative exercise was undertaken (in 2006-07) £140m of fraud was found nationally.
Our participation in the National Fraud Initiative 2008 means that information about you will be shared with the Audit Commission for the purposes of data matching. The law requires that I release this information and it does not require your consent.
However, numerous safeguards are taken to protect your personal data and these are set out in the audit commissions 'code of data matching practice' which is available on line at www.audit-commission.gov.uk/nfi| [external] Furthermore, the National Fraud Initiative ensures full compliance with all Data Protect and Human Rights legislation.
You can find out more about the National Fraud Initiative at the above website or you can contact either Daren Nowlan on Leicester (0116) 2572713 or John Brooks on Leicester (0116) 2572611.