Councils are required by law to protect the public funds they administer.
We share information given to us with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds. This is done to prevent and detect fraud.
The Cabinet Office appoints the auditor to audit our accounts. It is also responsible for carrying out data matching exercises.
Data Matching involves comparing computer records held by one body against other computer records held by the same or another body to see how far they match. This is usually personal information. Computerised data matching helps us to find fraudulent claims and payments. Where a match is found, it can show there is an inconsistency that needs more investigation. No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, error or other explanation until an investigation is carried out.
The Cabinet Office requires us to take part in a data matching exercise to help the prevention and detection of fraud. They require us to give information we hold for this purpose. We are required to give particular sets of data to the Cabinet Office for matching for each exercise, and these are set out in the Cabinet Office's guidance. For more about this, visit: Cabinet Office: National fraud initiative.
The use of data by the Cabinet Office in a data matching exercise is carried out with statutory authority under its powers in Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. It does not need an person's consent under the Data Protection Act 2018.
Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to a Code of Practice. For more about this, visit: Data Matching:Code of Conduct.
For details of the Cabinet Office's legal powers and reasons why it matches particular data, visit: Fair Processing Notices.
For more on Data Matching at Calderdale Council, contact Gail Durham (National Fraud Initiative key contact), by phone: 01422 393600.