DWP warns benefit cheats are getting off the hook amid huge backlog

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says determination is simply a immense backlog

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has admitted it is dealing with a immense magnitude of cases and a monolithic tribunal backlog. And they are prosecuting lone the astir superior "big, organised" fraud cases - leaving immoderate payment cheats disconnected the hook.

Figures amusement a staggering surge successful fraud against taxpayers' money, rising from £2.1 cardinal backmost successful 2019 to £7.4 cardinal successful 2024. Another £1.6 cardinal was incorrectly paid retired owed to what are thought to beryllium genuine errors by claimants.

The spike successful fraud has been attributed to a impermanent halt successful checks during the Covid-19 pandemic, to let the fast-tracking of benefits to those who were struggling. This intermission successful checks provided a aureate accidental for fraudsters. But contempt the numbers, DWP officials are optimistic they tin bring down fraud to pre-pandemic levels - though not until the twelvemonth 2030.

Director General for Fraud, Disability and Health astatine the DWP, Neil Couling, said: "Fraud is specified a large measurement that you can't prosecute your mode retired of this problem. So we are reserving our prosecutions for the astir egregious, the big, organised cases."

He went connected to explain: "For individualised frauds, determination is simply a bid of administrative penalties we would use alternatively than spell to the courts, due to the fact that the courts themselves are precise engaged with their ain backlogs of prosecutions that they are trying to enactment through." The crown courts presently person a backlog of 73,000 cases of each types awaiting trial.

During a league astatine the House of Commons, Sir Pete Schofield, Permanent Secretary of the Department, highlighted a spike successful fraud and mistake during the pandemic owed to a surge successful Universal Credit claims. A grounds 2.4 cardinal applications were received wrong conscionable 3 months.

He spoke astir the difficulties the section faced: "There were immoderate days wherever we had 100,000 radical claiming successful 1 time and we took a determination that it was a precedence for the section to wage radical and get radical into outgo which we were precise palmy astatine doing, but the effect of that was that we saw fraud and mistake travel into the system."

Reacting to the emergence successful fraud, the Government is connected a recruitment thrust to bring successful 3,000 caller enforcement staff. They are aiming to recoup astir £2.5 cardinal by 2030.

A statement was sparked betwixt officials and MPs erstwhile elder figures similar Sir Pete pointed to an summation successful fraud. Statistics uncover an summation successful UK residents admitting to fraudulent actions against businesses oregon nationalist authorities from 8% to 12% successful conscionable 2 years.

Sir Pete voiced concerns astir a increasing inclination towards fraud successful society, explaining to MPs: "We are warring against these headwinds." Mr Couling expressed his agreement, saying: "This looks similar a societal challenge."

On the contrary, Debbie Abrahams, seat of the Commons Work and Pensions Committee, urged caution: "We request to beryllium very, precise cautious earlier we marque statements astir 'this is simply a societal trend'. It's a precise superior accusation to enactment connected the nationalist that we are becoming progressively fraudulent."

MPs are acceptable to statement projected authorities this Monday (February 3) that could spot payment fraudsters suffer their driving licences for a two-year period. The Government's upcoming Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill besides aims to empower the Department for Work and Pensions' superior organised transgression investigators with the quality to petition hunt warrants from courts.

This would licence them to participate residences on with constabulary forces and confiscate items similar computers and smartphones. These could past beryllium utilized arsenic grounds against those suspected of fraud.