Dear Mrs Dale

RE: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT - FOI1006035

I refer to your request dated 9^th June 2010 under the FOIA 2000 if any department or section of Bradford Council periodically or ever checks on the possible debts or credit of certain individuals who live within the local authority. These may be people who claim housing and/or council tax benefit or people who have had dealings with local authority social services.

The Council's response to your request is under each point as for follows:

1. Does any department or individual within Bradford council liaise with debt collection agencies such as CapQuest, Robinson Way, or any others and does any department of Bradford Council check with an individuals utilities ie gas electric and water rates over payment of bills and also with telephone companies either mobile or land line, as to ownership of the phone contract or payment of bills.

Response: The Council Tax Department perform credit checks via Experian. These checks show if someone is living at a property and how long they have been living there. This process is for tracing purposes only. The Council did not liaise with CapQuest or Robinson Way.

The Council's Debt Recovery section is only involved with tracing companies. No liaison is carried out with utilities or telephone companies.

2. Does any department of Bradford council check if an individual has debts with credit card companies or other agencies or utilities, or if an individual has old and outstanding debts with the DWP or any other agency. If they do then what is the name of this section or department of Bradford Council and to what purpose do they glean this information.

Response: For tracing purposes the Council Tax Department check the Experian website and the land registry for ownership of a property or to check who is living in a property. If they have a credit card registered at their address then this would show on Experian and also show their credit limit. The Council Tax Department use this information for tracing individuals. The Council Tax enforcement service could use this to see if individuals have "other" potential debts with other companies to determine what they can afford to repay if they are behind on Council Tax.

3. Does any individual or department of Bradford council, give an individual (as mentioned above) private or personal information to debt collection, banks or tracing agencies regarding an individuals debts and if they do what is the purpose of giving this information? What actual level of details are given by Bradford Council (any department) to debt or tracing agencies or utilities, credit card companies, loan companies and banks and what is the definitive scope of information provided to such bodies by Bradford council?

Response: Within the Council Tax department cases have been recently passed to an external bailiff company called Equita.. Liability Order can been granted on cases where Council Tax Department is allowed to use other forms of recovery to collect Council Tax debt, one of these is using bailiff companies. The purpose of this is for them to collect the outstanding debt. Details given are: Date Liability Order granted, address of property Council tax is owed on, address of where debtor lives now, amount owed.

In Debt Recovery, tracing companies are used to trace debtors who have left owing money but have not provided a forwarding address. The name of the debtor, and the last known address are provided to tracing companies.

4. Which departments in Bradford council have access to the use of the CIS customer information system provided by the government on intranet and including the DWP and Inland Revenue details and how are they used?

CIS is used by whole of the Benefits Section to verify details when people apply for benefit or from referrals to our Fraud investigation team.

The Debt Recovery section uses CIS for the sole purpose of recovering overpaid housing benefit.

The Council Tax Department does not have access to CIS system.

5. Do Bradford council (any department) ever request email or internet traffic details from any individuals phone/internet use and do Bradford council ever ask any other local authorities for details of the same or ask the police to request phone companies such as BT or any other to tap any individuals telephones or data tap internet use for any reason?

No

6. Do Bradford council ever give an individuals private phone numbers to debt collection/tracing agents/utilities or any other party?

No

I trust that this answers your request and I will be pleased to assist with any further information that you may require

If you are not satisfied with this response you may ask for a review of this decision by contacting [Bradford City Council request email] or by writing to Freedom of Information, 7th Floor, City Exchange, 61 Hall Ings, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 5SG.

If you are still not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review you have the right of appeal to the Information Commissioner who can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,

Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Tel: 01625 545700 URL: http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

D. Mistry

Miss Dani Mistry[Author ID2: at Wed Jul 7 16:08:00 2010 ][Author ID2: at Wed Jul 7 16:08:00 2010 ]

Freedom of Information & Strategic Support Officer [Author ID2: at Wed Jul 7 16:08:00 2010 ]