Ms Niamh O'Donoghue:

There have been data exchanges for many years between the two Departments because Revenue is a collection agency for the Department. It collects PRSI through the tax system and provides the data for us that enable us to keep eligibility records and contribution histories for those who have paid PRSI. We are also required to provide information for Revenue on payments made where they are potentially subject to tax. We have been enhancing our ability to do this in recent years.
The high level group established four or five years ago set up a sub-group to see if there were other data sets we could exchange regularly. We exchange significant data, for example, when somebody takes up employment and the employer or employee registers for tax, we receive notification of the commencement of employment which enables us to match and minimise the risk of overpayment. We have considerably enhanced our ability internally to take that data and match it on a real-time basis across all of our means-assessed payment schemes. Revenue holds various other data that we receive either systematically or an ad hoc basis. Both organisations have to respect data protection principles and social welfare and tax law on the exchange of information.