Investigators from the DWP will be given extra powers to investigate fraud, similar to HMRC
The Prime Minister has announced a new Fraud Bill that will give Department for Work and Pensions investigators more powers to look into benefit fraud, adding to the bank account monitoring powers introduced last year.
"We've already cracked down on thousands of people wrongly claiming Universal Credit, including those not reporting self-employed earnings or hiding capital and we'll save the taxpayer £600 million by legislating to access vital data from third parties like banks." He further stated: "We'll also enable penalties to be applied to a wider set of fraudsters through a new civil penalty.
Additionally, the Government emphasised that the strategy aims to create a welfare system that is "fit for the future by providing vital support only to those who need it most, ensuring they are supported to live with dignity and independence, whilst making sure that everyone who can work is expected and supported to do so".
Nonetheless, on February 5, the DWP replied to the petition saying, "We must modernise and strengthen DWPs legislative framework to give those fighting fraud the tools they need to stand up to future challenges and minimise the impact of genuine mistakes that can lead to debt. The DWP has defended the new measures, stating: "This measure will provide better access to data to establish whether someone is entitled to benefit, making it harder for fraudsters to steal from the taxpayer. The measure will also address error by ensuring claimants are in receipt of the correct amount of benefit that they are entitled, preventing people from inadvertently getting into debt.
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