Annual Report
Purpose: To enable New Zealand and the Netherlands to recover benefit overpayment debts owed to them by individuals living in the other country.
Year commenced: 2003
Features: Data is transferred as required on an agreed form.
Netherlands disclosure to MSD: For Netherlands beneficiaries who have received an overpayment from the SVB, the SVB provides MSD with the names, addresses, dates of birth, amount of debts and the Netherlands unique identifiers and MSD client numbers.
2011/12 activity: This programme did not operate as no requests were received from the Netherlands.
Commentary: An audit on the operation of this programme concluded that it complies with the requirements.
Compliance: Compliant.
Technical information
| Authorising programmes | Social Welfare (Transitional Provisions) Act 1990, ss.19C and 19D and Social Welfare (Reciprocity with the Netherlands) Order 2003, Article 216[1] |
| Year authorised/commenced | 2003/2003 |
| Programme type | Locating people |
| Unique identifiers | Netherlands and NZ social welfare numbers |
System description
The Netherlands Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) sends debtor information to MSD on an approved form (debt certificate), along with other documentation required to enforce the debt. MSD manually matches the debtor details against its database. If a match is found, MSD writes to the debtor advising of the information received from SVB and giving the individual an opportunity to challenge the information. That letter serves a similar purpose to the requirements of adverse action notice (s.103 notice). MSD either collects the debt through regular deductions from current beneficiary payments or, in the case of non-beneficiaries, by other arrangements.
Historical activity
This programme has not operated as no requests have been received from the Netherlands.
[1] Although not information matching provisions listed in Privacy Act, Schedule 3, the matches operated under these provisions (programmes 17, 19, 20 and 21) are required to be treated as if they were authorised information matching programmes for most purposes - see Social Welfare (Transitional Provisions) Act 1990, s.19D(3)(b).
