Policies and Documents

National Fraud Initiative

National Fraud Initiative Fair Processing Notice:

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

The Local Government Auditor audits the accounts of this Local Authority. The Comptroller and Auditor General is responsible for carrying out data matching exercises under his powers in Articles 4A to 4G of the Audit and Accountability (Northern Ireland) Order 2003.

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 allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified. Where a match is found it indicates that there may be 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 Comptroller and Auditor General 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 Comptroller and Auditor General for matching. Details are set out in the Northern Ireland Audit Office website.

Data matching by the Comptroller and Auditor General is subject to a Code of Practice. This can also be found on the Northern Ireland Audit Office website.

The use of data by the Comptroller and Auditor General in a data matching exercise is carried out with statutory authority. It does not require the consent of the individuals concerned under the Data Protection legislation or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

All information collected and processed will be held in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s retention schedule available on their website.

If at any point you believe the information we process on you is incorrect you can request to see this information and even have it corrected or deleted. If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter: 

If you are not satisfied with our response, or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

For further information on the Comptroller and Auditor General’s legal powers and the reasons why he matches particular information, please refer to the Northern Ireland Audit Office website.

For further information on data matching at this local authority email: NFI@midandeastantrim.gov.uk