Lancashire to share data with other organisations

Lancashire said that the new scheme is part of the National Fraud Initiative (NFI), a data matching exercise whereby information is submitted by councils to the Audit Commission to be checked and cross-matched. Information to be shared includes data held on pensions, payroll, creditors, private supported care homes and insurance claims against the council. Lancashire said that information held for blue badge parking passes and NoWcard concessionary travel passes will also be shared. "Fraudulently claiming benefits is not a victimless crime. We are co-operating with other public sector bodies to stamp it out," said Geoff Driver, leader of Lancashire CC. "Apart from the obvious waste of public funds, if people are claiming money they're not entitled to receive, it could mean that others who rightly deserve it are missing out." The council said that where a match is found, "it indicates that there is an inconsistency requiring further investigation". No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, an error or some other explanation until an investigation is carried out, it added. In 2008-09 the NFI helped to trace £215m in fraud, error and overpayments across England. Since the start of the initiative in 1996, it has helped to identify fraud worth a total of £664m. The council said that the Audit Commission can use data in such an exercise under its powers in Part 2A of the Audit Commission Act 1998. It does not require the consent of the people concerned under the Data Protection Act 1998.