Information-sharing agreement between Inland Revenue and the Department of Internal Affairs - contact details as part of passport renewal or application process
Information-sharing agreement with Internal Affairs - contact details from passport renewals or applications for recovery of student loan or child support debt.
The Privacy (Information-Sharing Agreement Between Inland Revenue and Internal Affairs) Order 2013 approves a new information-sharing agreement between Inland Revenue and the Department of Internal Affairs. Under the agreement, Internal Affairs will provide Inland Revenue with all contact details that it has obtained as part of the adult passport application process. The agreement will enable Inland Revenue to match these contact details against those it holds for people in three specific groups:
- overseas-based student loan borrowers who are in default of their student loan repayments;
- liable parents living overseas who are in default of their child support payment obligations; and
- liable parents living overseas who are not in default of their child support payment obligations but whose contact details appear to be out of date.
Any information received by Inland Revenue relating to individuals outside of these three groups will be deleted within 30 days of receipt.
The objective of the information-sharing agreement is to obtain reliable and timely contact information to assist Inland Revenue's efforts to prevent and collect student loan defaults and child support debt from overseas-based borrowers and liable parents living overseas.
The Privacy Act 1993 provides a mechanism for the approval by Order in Council of information-sharing agreements between agencies. This is the first information-sharing agreement approved in accordance with Part 9A of that Act.
What information will be shared?
Only contact details supplied in applications for new or renewed adult passports will be shared under the agreement. This includes information necessary to identify and contact the person, and facilitate communication between Inland Revenue and Internal Affairs. This information is shown in the table below.
| Use | Data |
|---|---|
| Identifying the person | First name(s) Surname Date of birth |
| Contacting the person | Home address Passport delivery address Personal home telephone number Work telephone number Mobile phone number E-mail address |
| Communicating with Internal Affairs | Passport number |
From time to time Inland Revenue may need to clarify the data received from Internal Affairs in order to verify the contact details of an individual. In these instances, Inland Revenue will use the passport number, supplied by Internal Affairs under the agreement, to clearly identify the individual.
How will the information be used?
Inland Revenue may use the personal information collected under the agreement to compare it with Inland Revenue's records to identify and then contact an individual overseas who is in default of their student loan or child support obligations. The information may also be used to contact a liable parent living overseas whose contact details appear to be out of date.
What actions may result from the receipt of the information shared under the agreement?
Once contact is made with an overseas-based borrower in default or a liable parent overseas in default and the individual's identity is confirmed, Inland Revenue can be expected to take steps to recover the overdue payments. This may include:
- requiring payment of overdue child support liability in full or student loan balance in full;
- requiring payment of the overdue student loan debt in full;
- requiring payment of part of the overdue student loan debt or overdue child support liability, with the remainder being paid under an instalment arrangement;
- requiring payment by instalment arrangement; or
- taking legal action.
The regulations came into effect on 3 October 2013. Read the information sharing agreement
Privacy (Information Sharing Agreement Between Inland Revenue and Internal Affairs) Order 2013 (SR 2013/374)