DWP explains what 'other intelligence' it uses when deciding to suspend payments

New powers are coming successful allowing officials to petition slope connection details successful cases of suspected payment fraud

The DWP has issued a connection to clarify dubious comments from a elder authoritative with the radical who mentioned they person "other intelligence" to support way of claimants successful suspected payment fraud cases. The remark came from Neil Couling, elder liable proprietor for Universal Credit, arsenic helium and different DWP heads were quizzed by the Work and Pensions Committee.

They were answering questions arsenic caller powers are coming successful to tackle payment fraud. Investigators volition beryllium allowed to straight instrumentality funds from a person's slope relationship to retrieve wrongful payments, and benefits cheats could adjacent suffer their driving licence successful the astir superior cases.

Mr Couling was asked by MP Johanna Baxter astir what "safeguards" the DWP has to marque definite susceptible claimants bash not person their benefits suspended, if they are suspected of wrongfully receiving payments. The DWP brag said the "general policy" with susceptible individuals is not to suspend their payments without making interaction with them first, to measure their vulnerability.

However, helium added that determination are sometimes cases wherever the section believes a idiosyncratic is deliberately avoiding contact, specified arsenic erstwhile they are abroad, successful which lawsuit officials volition chopped disconnected their cash. Mr Couling explained: "In those benignant of cases, we would suspend the lawsuit and invitation them to interaction america astir that issue."

Ms Baxter probed further to inquire however the DWP knows erstwhile a payment claimant is abroad. Mr Couling answered: "We mightiness person different intelligence, which I don't privation to spell into successful unfastened session. We person accusation from assorted places successful the people of investigations."

The DWP was asked what benignant of accusation Mr Couling was referring to. The section said: "We volition not tolerate the unacceptable level of fraud successful the payment system.

"New measures successful our Fraud, Error, and Recovery Bill volition guarantee taxpayers person assurance that payment spending goes to enactment those who truly request it, not radical who question to exploit it – redeeming the payer £1.5 cardinal implicit the adjacent 5 years. As with immoderate different benignant of fraud, we robustly analyse immoderate grounds that a lawsuit mightiness beryllium claiming oregon receiving a payment inappropriately from abroad."

Also during the meeting, the DWP officials said they would summation their anti-fraud efforts by moving with the Home Office to cheque borderline records, to spot erstwhile claimants are going successful and retired of the UK successful breach of their payment rules. They besides said they volition beryllium amended capable to verify a claimant's concern arsenic HMRC records go much digital, giving the DWP amended entree to taxation records.

Damien Egan, MP for Bristol North East, said helium had visited his section occupation centre, with experienced enactment coaches determination telling him the concern with fraudulent claims had "never been truthful bad". The MP said: "I was amazed to perceive that radical were getting wealth for wellness benefits adjacent erstwhile it mightiness conscionable accidental 'no tin work'.

"Then it would instrumentality months and months and months earlier enactment capableness kicked in, and past determination was a repetition signifier erstwhile these radical were recovered acceptable for work, and past would travel backmost into the strategy with thing else. It wasn't being checked."

He besides said fraudsters are abusing the self-employed expenses system, which tin supply a £10,000 a twelvemonth summation to your payments. Mr Egan said bluntly: "The strategy isn't checking it. It's conscionable excessively easy."

Among the caller measures volition beryllium an 'Eligibility Verification' cheque allowing banks to supply the DWP with information to assistance place incorrect payments. Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, said: "Our caller eligibility verification measurement volition alteration america to necessitate banks oregon different fiscal institutions to supply important information to assistance place incorrect payment payments radical mightiness beryllium getting, including fraudulently, specified arsenic if idiosyncratic has excessively overmuch successful savings, making them ineligible for a benefit, oregon if they are fraudulently claiming benefits overseas erstwhile they should beryllium surviving successful the UK."