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Consultation on Data Matching Practice
12 March 2008
The Audit Office has launched, for consultation, its draft Code of Data Matching Practice 2008. This follows its acquisition of new powers under the Serious Crime Act 2007 which will enable it to conduct data matching exercises for the purpose of assisting in the prevention and detection of fraud and identifying those who are fraudulently taking money from the public purse. The new powers are anticipated to come into force on 6 April 2008.
Data matching is not new. Since the mid 1990s, a data matching exercise involving the comparison of datasets, known as the National Fraud Initiative, has been run by the Audit Commission for Local Authorities and the National Health Service in England. An example of a data match is where a pension payment continues to be made to a pensioner after his/her death.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, John Dowdall, said:
“The National Fraud Initiative has been at the forefront of tackling public sector fraud in Great Britain and we now will have powers to participate in this in Northern Ireland. I can see it as one of the priorities for NIAO over the coming year to assist departments to take advantage of these powerful new anti-fraud techniques.”
Under these new powers the Comptroller and Auditor General may require, with minor exceptions, all bodies whose accounts are audited by himself or by a Local Government Auditor to provide data for data matching. These new powers also enable him to conduct data matching exercises on a voluntary basis for any other body where he and the body concerned consider it appropriate to do so.
The draft Code of Data Matching Practice 2008 has been developed in consultation with the Information Commissioner and gives more details of data matching and a summary of the new powers. The objective of the Code is to help ensure that the Audit Office and all persons and bodies involved in these data matching exercises comply with the law, especially the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. The Code is available at http://www.niauditoffice.gov.uk/pubs/nfi/consultationCode/CodeOfDataMatchingPractice.pdf
NOTES FOR EDITORS
- The Comptroller and Auditor General is Head of the Northern Ireland Audit Office (the Audit Office). He and the NIAO are totally independent of Government. He certifies the accounts of Government Departments and has a range of other public sector bodies. He has statutory authority to report to the Northern Ireland Assembly on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which departments and public bodies use their resources. His reports are published as Assembly papers.
- Further information can be obtained from the Audit Office by contacting: Janet sides (028 90251118) or Patrick O’Neill on (028 90251023).
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