Section Sch6-6 — Social Security Act 2018: Power to obtain for matching purposes information from employers

6 Power to obtain for matching purposes information from employers (1) This clause applies to an employer if MSD has reason to suspect that there is, or may have been, employed by the employer, a person or people— (a) to whom benefits, or payments under this Act, have been paid that should not have been; or (b) to whom entitlement cards have been issued that should not have been; or (c) in respect of whom, or in respect of whose spouse or partner, there has been conducted under Part 6 or 8 of the Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018 a means assessment that is not correct. (2) MSD may issue a notice under clause 2 to that employer requiring that employer to give to MSD, within a period (of 5 or more working days after the notice is given),

and in the manner, stated in the notice, the following information (so that it can be used in an information-matching programme): (a) the names and addresses of all, or of a specified class, of that employer’s employees (including any former employees who were employed by that employer within a specified period); and (b) the tax file numbers (as defined in section YA 1 of the Income Tax Act 2007) of those employees or former employees. (3) Subclause (2) applies whether or not MSD is able to identify any employees or former employees of that employer as being individuals who— (a) are or have been receiving a benefit, or payment under this Act; or (b) are or have been issued with entitlement cards under regulations in force under section 437 ; or (c) have had their financial circumstances, or the financial circumstances of their spouse or partner, assessed under either or both of Parts 6 and 8 of the Residential Care and Disability Support Services Act 2018. (4) In this clause and clause 7 ,— (a) information-matching programme means the comparison of information obtained under subclause (2) with other personal information held by MSD for the purpose of producing or verifying information about an identifiable individual; and (b) expressions otherwise defined in section 97 of the Privacy Act 1993 have the meanings so defined, with all necessary modifications. (5) This clause does not authorise MSD to issue a notice to an employer more than once in a 12-month period. Compare: 1964 No 136 s 11A(1)–(3), (8), (10)