DWP explains the one benefit that is 'safe' from new bank account checks

The DWP has announced that 1 benignant of payment is acceptable to beryllium exempt from the caller slope relationship checks which are acceptable to beryllium introduced nether the caller Labour government

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed 1 benefit volition beryllium exempt from slope relationship checks.

Under the caller Labour Party government, the DWP is acceptable to summation caller powers allowing it to deduct wealth straight from payslips and accounts. However, authorities pensioners person been reassured by DWP curate Liz Kendall. The caller powers granted by the Labour authorities volition alteration payment fraud investigators to retrieve overclaimed debts straight from individuals' slope accounts.

An 'increasing propensity' for dishonesty crossed British nine has been cited arsenic a crushed for the continued emergence successful scams since Covid. Ms Kendall has pledged to update her department's 20 twelvemonth aged powers, describing their existent investigatory capabilities arsenic 'absurd'.

The DWP is poised to person caller powers to straight extract wealth from the pockets of payment fraudsters, arsenic the authorities vows to clamp down connected payment scams. It has been revealed that DWP officials are anticipating a 5 per cent summation successful fraud each year.

During 2023-24, £9.7 cardinal of taxpayers' wealth was overpaid successful benefits owed to fraud and error, accounting for 3.7 per cent of full payment expenditure. This compares to £8.3 cardinal and 3.6 per cent successful 2022-23, arsenic the complaint of payment overpayments continues to stay importantly supra pre-Covid levels.

Ms Kendall voiced her worries successful a missive to the Telegraph, remarking: "We're successful an absurd concern wherever DWP's powers person not been updated for 20 years, meaning fraudsters person caller ways of taking nationalist money, and we request to support gait with them."

She further pointed retired the system's shortcomings to the newspaper, saying: "My squad are still, successful 2024, sending letters to stitchery grounds for those suspected of payment fraud, slowing them down to snail's gait erstwhile they could beryllium shutting down superior fraud cases."