Fair Processing Statement

Thanet District Council collects information for a wide variety of purposes, including Council Tax, Benefits, Environment, Grants, Leisure, Democratic and many other services. The information we collect about you will depend on the nature of your business with the Council, but may be used for any of the Council's purposes.

Specific conditions or restriction may apply to some of the Council's services. A more specific "fair processing" statement may apply in some cases.

Data Matching

We are required by law to protect the public funds we administer. We may share information provided to us with other organisations responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud.

The Audit Commission appoints the auditor to audit the accounts of this authority. It is also responsible for carrying out data matching exercises.

Data matching involves comparing computer records held by one organisation against other computer records held by the same or another group to see if they match. This is usually personal information. Computerised data matching allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified. Where a match is found it indicates that there is an inconsistency that requires further investigation. No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, error or other explanation until an investigation is carried out.

The Audit Commission currently requires us to participate in a data matching exercise to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud. We are required to provide particular sets of data to the Audit Commission for matching for each exercise, and these are set out in the Audit Commission's guidance for the National Fraud Initiative.

The use of data by the Audit Commission in a data matching exercise is carried out with statutory authority under its powers in Part 2A of the Audit Commission Act 1998. It does not require the consent of the individuals under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Information from a person's Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit data may be supplied to Experian, a Credit Reference Agency, and Housing Benefit fraud investigations could possibly include checks on undeclared cohabitees. Experian is the data processor/service provider for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and under section 3(2) of the Social Security Act 1998 data can be provided to them. Experian will compare that data with the information it holds and perform a risk assessment to highlight cases that would be worth investigating further. Information can both be given and received from Experian to check the accuracy of information, prevent or detect crime and to protect public funds. The European Convention on Human Rights, Article 8(2) provides that there can be no interference with a person's right for respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. The Council has a statutory obligation under the Human Rights Act to uphold the Convention Rights unless the exceptions contained within the Convention Rights are met. They are as follows:

• In accordance with the law (including being at some level foreseeable to the subject of the personal information)
• Pursuing a legitimate aim
• Necessary in a democratic society

Data matched by the Audit Commission is subject to the Code of data matching practice

Information about the Audit Commission's legal powers and the reasons why it matches particular information can be found on its website at: http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/fraud/nfi/Pages/fair-processing-notice.aspx