Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Benefit Fraud

Monday 6 March 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Tom Pursglove inquired about measures to combat benefit fraud, noting a 900 million investment aimed at preventing 2.4 billion in losses by 2024-25.
  • The Minister was asked about plans to increase staffing numbers in response to reports of benefit fraud and perceived inaction by the Department.
  • Jim Shannon raised concerns about individuals inadvertently filling out benefit forms incorrectly and facing difficulties in repaying debts, asking for compassion in such cases.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tom Pursglove Con
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP noted the government's existing measures to combat welfare fraud, including an investment of £900 million expected to prevent a loss of £2.4 billion by 2024-25.

Question

We take all fraud very seriously and have a range of measures in place, supported by two tranches of additional investment totalling around £900 million, which will prevent a further £2.4 billion of loss by 2024-25. In May last year, we published “Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System”, which details our proposals for reducing fraud and error, including legislative change and closer working across Government.

Answer from Andrew Bridgen

I thank the Minister for that answer, but I have had numerous reports from constituents of alleged incidents of benefit fraud and what they perceive as a lack of action when they report them to the Department, so will the Minister inform the House by how many his Department plans to increase staff in the counter-fraud teams?

Partly answered

Not addressed: Number of staff increases in counter-fraud teams

How: Under Review, Looking At This

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Q2 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The MP noted that in his constituency, people have inadvertently filled out benefit forms incorrectly over the past few years, leading to difficulties in repaying the money they owe.

Question

Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is very important that all benefit fraud is taken on board, but many times in my constituency over the past few years, people have inadvertently filled in forms incorrectly and have found themselves having to pay money back. May I ask that compassion be shown to those who have inadvertently done wrong but realised they have to pay back, to ensure that they can pay back at a level they can afford?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

The hon. Gentleman is right to raise this point, and it is important to note that we work on a case-by-case basis. Of course, where there are instances of error of that kind, we work on an individual basis to work out a repayment plan that is appropriate for those individuals, taking into account any financial vulnerabilities or challenges they might face.

Answered
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