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Data sharing for the prevention and detection of fraud
Fraud costs the public sector over around £20 billion per year and at least £2 billion is in local government. It's therefore in all our interests to prevent fraud from occurring as each pound lost reduces the ability to provide public services.
We are required, by law, to protect the public funds we administer. We may share details you provide us with other bodies responsible for auditing, administering public funds, or where they're undertaking a public function. This is done in order to prevent and detect fraud.
National Fraud Initiative
As part of our duty to prevent and detect fraud, we may share personal data with the Cabinet Office for data matching under the National Fraud Initiative (NFI). This includes information about individuals receiving adult social care services, such as residential care placements and direct payments.
Data matching involves comparing sets of data to identify inconsistencies that may indicate fraud. The Cabinet Office is responsible for this initiative and processes data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
The lawful basis for this processing is the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority (Article 6(1)(e) UK GDPR), and compliance with a legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)).
Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to the Code of Data Matching Practice.
See further details on the Cabinet Office’s legal powers and the reason why it matches particular information on the National Fraud Initiative privacy notice.
Data sharing with a specified anti-fraud organisation
Section 68 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 was introduced as part of the Government’s commitment to preventing fraud. Section 68 enables public authorities such as Barnsley Council to disclose information for the purposes of preventing fraud, as a member of a specified anti-fraud organisation or otherwise, in accordance with any arrangements made with such an organisation.
A specified anti-fraud organisation enables or facilitates the sharing of information for the prevention of fraud, and is specified by an order made by the Secretary of State. Disclosures of information from a public authority to a specified anti-fraud organisation are subject to a Code of Practice and this, along with a full list of specified anti-fraud organisation we may share information with, can be found on the Home Office Data sharing for the prevention of fraud: code of practice.
In addition, all disclosures must be made in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the GDPR.