Exit & Entry Details founded by DWP and HMRC

[Sgohel]

I have been living in UK for last 18 years and claiming child benefit for last 9 years, I have British and EU passports. Recently I travelled out of UK to another NON-EU country on British Passport and had spent around 10 weeks and came back to UK. I did not inform the child benefit office that I will be away for more than 8 weeks as was unaware of the law. Immediately within one month from the date of arrival in UK, I got a letter from child benefit office asking for several documents including my travel itinearies etc which got me absolutely surprised. When I call the child benefit office, they told me the EXACT DATES of my DEPARTURE AND RETURN TO UK, and I was really shocked and astonised as to how come they found out these information. I had travelled out of UK in the past for more than 9-10 weeks and had never faced this kind of situation nor received any letters from DWP or HMRC etc.
Please can someone tell me how does the DWP/HMRC can find out of exact travel dates and absentism from UK. I have tried looking everywhere but could not find this information, hence if someone can explain and provide details as to how DWP and HMRC find this out it would be very helpful for future precautions to be taken.

[alterhase58]

I’m assuming they have access to the Home Office travellers databases. It is well known there’s data sharing between government departments.
You cannot hide your travel movements unless you leave the country clandestinely.

[Amber]

For child benefit, although the requirement to be in the United Kingdom implies physical presence here on a day-to-day basis, a person who is not physically present in the United Kingdom may nevertheless be treated as such if they go abroad temporarily

for the first eight weeks of absence, whatever the reason

or

twelve weeks of any period of absence, or any extension thereof, in connection with

treatment of physical or mental illness
treatment of their partner’s physical or mental illness
the death of a person who was their partner immediately prior to death
the death, treatment for physical or mental illness, of a child or qualifying young person for whom they, their partner or both are responsible
the death, or treatment for physical or mental illness of their or their partner’s relative

Child Benefit (General) Regulations 2006 regulations 22, 24 & 28

In terms of data sharing, yes it does happen, for example, see this Hansard extract - https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2 ... HomeOffice

It is your legal duty to report notifiable changes to benefits agencies if you choose to claim benefits. Ignorance of the law is no excuse for criminal matters.

[secret.simon]

they told me the EXACT DATES of my DEPARTURE AND RETURN TO UK, and I was really shocked and astonised as to how come they found out these information.

The Border Force in the Home Office, and by extension other government departments, would have access to the Advance Passenger Information that is submitted to the Border Force by the arline/ferry/train service that you use to exit and enter the UK.

Also, to build on Amber's Hansard quote above, here is a Civil Service magazine article from 2017 on the same point.

HMRC, Home Office, and DWP to share data in ‘fully digital’ post-Brexit immigration system

Also see this Home Office guidance on Data sharing in enforcement cases: standards of operational practice.