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Councillors: Arun

Answer

This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member directly.Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 12 March 2009:I"Your Parliamentary Question on what reasons Arun was chosen by the Audit Commission to ask councillors for their bank account details has been passed to me for reply.""The Audit Commission confirms that there was no particular or additional request for data relating to Arun Council or its councillors in relation to the National Fraud Initiative and that they have been treated in exactly the same way as all other participants in the National Fraud Initiative.""One of the key sets of data matched under the National Fraud Initiative is payroll data. For example, by matching payroll data to Housing Benefit claimants' data we can identify potential fraudulent claims or overpayments. All mandatory participants in the National Fraud Initiative (for example, local councils, police authorities, probation boards, fire and rescue authorities, NHS bodies, etc) are required to provide bank account and sort codes in the payroll file submitted to the Audit Commission. The specific (and relatively limited) fields required for the National ""Fraud Initiative are set out in the published 'data specification'. This requires the payroll data submitted to include all individuals being paid a salary, wage, members' allowance or other remuneration at a particular point in time. It therefore covers all employees, board members and councillors.""A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard."

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

489 c737-8W;489 c739-40W; 262097

Session

2008-09

Related items

Councillors: Accountancy
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Written questions
House of Commons

Subjects

Councillors Arun

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk