Are the Pension and tax offices linked?

[taglyn]

I rang the tax office in August as I needed a tax exemption form sending. I gave my friends adress as I was staying there temporarily.
My friend and I have now only received 125 pounds each winter fuel allowance and a letter saying we only get half each as we live in the same house.
So how would the pensions department have access to information given to the tax department?
I am going to ring them up later but I am rather puzzled!!
Has enyone else been in a similar situation?

[Wrinkles]

Not as such but a couple of years ago I had a friend stay with me for two weeks whilst waiting to move into his new flat. Shortly after I got a letter saying I would only receive  half of the allowance as he was staying with me on the qualifying date.
I appealed the decision but got nowhere whilst my friend moved into his flat and got the full amount. 

[Papaumau]

Actually I am quite surprised that they are that much "on the ball" as government departments can often take a very long time to catch up to what the rest of us are doing. Mind you, when it is money being laid out, they always seem to be very quick on the uptake.

I am an ex-civil servant and I know how they work and while in some cases similar departments work very closely together on occasion the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.

There often never seems to be any pattern as to how this works !

[John]

Everything is linked now.

Part of Brown's Big Brother Policy.

Government Departments and Councils given wide powers to spy on you.