New plans to stop benefit fraud could see DWP access information from airlines on where people travel
06.11.2023 - 09:41
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently published the findings from a survey measuring the public’s response to proposed new powers to tackle fraud, error and debt in the benefits system. For each of the six potential new measures described in the ‘British Social Attitudes Survey ’, there were more respondents who saw the power as acceptable than those who saw it as unacceptable.
The potential legislative measures in the survey include providing the DWP with greater third-party access to data, collecting information about where claimants are spending money, asking banks to share information about accounts which look like someone may be committing fraud, enabling trained investigators to execute search and seizure orders and giving them the power to make arrests.
Two of the potential new powers were seen as “completely unacceptable” by more than 10 per cent of the overall sample - the power to make arrests (13%) and the scenario in which DWP could collect information from an airline to see where a claimant is travelling (11%).
The survey was completed by 2,127 people between June 15 and 21, 2023, comprising a nationally representative sample of 1,782 people and a boost of 345 additional claimants.
Overall, the survey determined that power relating to cross-government data-sharing was most commonly seen as acceptable, whilst the proposed arrest powers were least commonly seen as acceptable.
The list below represents each of the potential new powers and the percentage of acceptable responses.
Government organisations sharing data with DWP about claimants
Asking banks to share information about accounts which look like someone may be committing fraud
Collecting banking information as soon as fraud is