Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Public Sector Fraud

Thursday 7 September 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

  • The Public Sector Fraud Authority is expected to exceed its initial targets in its first year as part of a 3 billion recovery over two years.
  • The Government has invested 1 billion in fraud and error reduction since 2022.
  • The Minister expressed willingness to meet to discuss supporting whistleblowers who uncover public sector fraud.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Mary Robinson Con
Standards & Ethics
Context

The question follows a year of operation for the Public Sector Fraud Authority and recent government investments in fraud reduction.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to help prevent public sector fraud. I am concerned about the effectiveness of our current measures given the significant recovery of £3 billion over two years but also the ongoing challenges in fraud prevention.

Answer from Jeremy Quin

In its first year, the Public Sector Fraud Authority is expected to exceed its initial targets as part of a £3 billion recovery over two years. The Government has invested £1 billion in fraud and error reduction since 2022. We are recognised globally for our efforts against public sector fraud.

Answered
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Q2 Mary Robinson Con
Standards & Ethics
Context

Whistleblowers uncover almost half of all public sector fraud, costing an estimated £40 billion annually. Current laws to protect whistleblowers are insufficient.

Question

We know that whistleblowers are responsible for uncovering almost half of all fraud—fraud that costs the public sector an estimated £40 billion a year—yet our laws to protect and support them are not working. If we want to tackle public sector fraud, we need to encourage more people to come forward. Will my right hon. Friend agree to meet me to discuss how we can better support whistleblowers and tackle this vast expense to the public purse?

Answer from Jeremy Quin

I am very happy to meet my hon. Friend, or one of my ministerial colleagues will. We do wish to support whistleblowers and respect the information shared by them. It is part of our system, though, and we use AI to track down fraud across the public sector.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The request for a specific meeting was acknowledged but not confirmed as a commitment.

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