Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Fraud and Economic Crime: Prosecution

Wednesday 14 October 2026 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Crown Prosecution Service completed more than 8,000 fraud and forgery prosecutions in the last financial year, a 10% increase from the previous year.
  • Organised crime is a significant part of fraud, and the Serious Fraud Office investigates major fraud and bribery cases.
  • Between 2020 and 2025, the CPS recovered over 530 million through confiscation orders, with 102 million paid back.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Ian Sollom
Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The question addresses the growing issue of fraud and economic crime in the UK, with a focus on the effectiveness of prosecution efforts.

Question

What steps she is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of fraud and economic crime. In the last financial year, the Crown Prosecution Service completed more than 8,000 fraud and forgery prosecutions—an increase of about 10% on the year before—and we are not stopping there.

Answer from Andrew Slaughter

We are determined to make the UK a more hostile environment for all forms of economic crime, including fraud. In the last financial year, the Crown Prosecution Service completed more than 8,000 fraud and forgery prosecutions—an increase of about 10% on the year before—and we are not stopping there. In June, the CPS launched its new serious economic and organised crime strategy, which is modernising its response and strengthening capability to address increasingly sophisticated crime.

Answered
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Q2 Ian Sollom
Crime & Law Enforcement Community Security Science & Technology
Context

The questioner raises concerns about the impact of the CPS's new strategy on fraud victims, noting that the strategy does not explicitly address victims' needs.

Question

Fraud is growing, and artificial intelligence is making it easier for it to be committed at scale. While cases can be complex, all too often victims tell me that they feel abandoned by the system. The CPS strategy folds fraud into organised crime and national security issues, and none of its seven priorities is actually about victims; in that regard, it differs from the previous economic crime strategy. How will the Solicitor General ensure that fraud victims are not lost in the CPS's new approach?

Answer from Andrew Slaughter

As the hon. Gentleman will know, organised crime is an important part of fraud, and the two go hand in hand. The Serious Fraud Office investigates the most serious types of fraud and bribery, and other matters. However, we are very conscious of the fact that tens of thousands of individuals—our constituents—are affected, and that will be central to this aim.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific measures to address victims' needs

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Q3 Gareth Snell Lab Stoke-on-Trent Central
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The questioner seeks an update on asset recovery powers and how they are being used to prevent crime.

Question

Can the Solicitor General update the House on whether he believes that there are sufficient asset recovery powers to ensure that crime does not pay, and can he explain how those powers are being used?

Answer from Andrew Slaughter

We have taken considerable steps along that route. As well as securing convictions, prosecutors can use confiscation and asset recovery powers to seize the proceeds of offending. Between 2020 and 2025, the CPS recovered more than £530 million through confiscation orders, of which £102 million was paid to victims in compensation.

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