Response to Tracing People

I think the DSS is the major leaker of information that you might have thought was between you and the Government. In my opinion, the information you supply when you sign on for benefits appears to show up in pre-lit reports (that repossessees obtain by using the Data Protection Act) rather than the information that you supply to the Inland Revenue.

I would have thought that information you supply to the National Insurance people would also be made available to private eyes/tracing companies.

The reason I think that the DSS and possibly the NI are leakers is that they don't pay their staff particularly well, and many staff are demotivated. So they are easy pickings for ways of making extra income, basically.

Bear in mind that the lowest level of admin in the DSS - and I presume the NI - have access to the details you enter on any form.

The DSS will necessarily have more info on your earnings and assets than pretty much any other department. Consider how many questions you answered on various benefit claim forms.

The NI, on the other hand, asks fewer questions and its staff are mostly concentrated in Newcastle so they probably don't sell info to private eyes/tracing agents in Poole or Cardiff.

About four years ago, the Inland Revenue - which shares data with the NI people - acknowledged that it had leaks and sought information that would help it stem them. I don't know if that is still true.

So the DSS is probably the biggest leaker.

Lee

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