Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Social Security: Fraud and Error 2026-06-29

Monday 29 June 2026 · 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

  • Current rate of fraud and error in the UK social security system is 3.2%.
  • A new ambition to reduce the fraud and error rate to 2.8% by 2028-29 has been set.
  • The Department for Work and Pensions is open to receiving written concerns about benefit administration and fraud investigation in Scotland.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John Cooper Con Dumfries and Galloway
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question addresses the recent estimates of fraud and error levels in the social security system, seeking specific details on how these figures compare to past peaks and future targets.

Question

What recent estimate he has made of the level of fraud and error in the social security system. The current rate is 3.2%, compared with a peak of 4.3% at financial year end 2022, indicating sustained progress with fraud and error measures. What steps will be taken to further reduce these levels?

Answer from Andrew Western

Overall levels of fraud and error are the lowest since the pandemic at 3.2%, compared with the peak of 4.3% in financial year end 2022, demonstrating sustained progress with our fraud and error measures. Building on that success, we have set a new ambition to reduce the rate to 2.8% by 2028-29, which would be the lowest cross-welfare overpayment rate since tax credits were introduced in 2003.

Answered
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Q2 John Cooper Con Dumfries and Galloway
Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question addresses the issue of benefit fraud in Scotland, where prosecutions are rare due to decriminalisation. It seeks clarification on how the Department for Work and Pensions will tackle this issue given its continued role in administering some benefits.

Question

In Scotland, benefit fraud has effectively been decriminalised; the number of prosecutions is vanishingly small. Given that the Department for Work and Pensions continues to have a role in Scotland—administering some benefits, despite devolution—what can the Department do to tackle fraud there? It is happening here, and we have a two-tier system in Scotland.

Answer from Andrew Western

If the hon. Gentleman has specific concerns about how benefits are being administered and fraud is being investigated through the powers of the Scottish Parliament, I would very much appreciate it if he could write to me. In some instances, the way in which the Department and our Scottish Government counterparts will be investigating fraud means that we are now teed up to intervene at an earlier stage, where a number of the issues can be less serious. We can detect and act at a much earlier stage. That is beneficial in reducing fraud and for claimants.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answerer suggested writing a letter instead of providing specific steps or commitments to tackle benefit fraud in Scotland.

How: If The Hon. Gentleman Has Specific Concerns About How Benefits Are Being Administered And Fraud Is Being Investigated Through The Powers Of The Scottish Parliament, I Would Very Much Appreciate It If He Could Write To Me.

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