Found: For example, the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill currently being debated in the

Found: highlighted evidence that the DWP was making efforts, and since then the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help reduce losses from fraud in the benefits system.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department has made strides in turning the tide on fraud and error in the benefits system, with the overall rates dropping since the peak in overpayments in 2022. We welcome the recognition of this progress in the NAO’s recent report.

We will continue to go further with the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill which is estimated to save £1.5bn by 2030, as part of a wider package of £9.6bn of savings.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit overpayments his Department made in 2024; and what steps he is taking to reduce those payments.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

We have committed to significant fraud, error and debt measures at Autumn Budget 2024 and Spring Statement 2025, which the OBR estimated will deliver an additional £9.6bn savings over the next five years. The Autumn Budget 2024 package was the biggest ever announced to reduce welfare fraud, error, and debt. Building on our existing interventions (including investment in additional staff and preventative measures), we have brought forward new legislation this session through the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (“PAFER Bill”). This Bill includes powers that will help DWP to identify incorrect payments and prevent the build-up of overpayments and debt accruing.

Fraud and error overpayments accounted for £9.5bn (3.3%) in 2024/25 compared to £9.7bn (3.6%) in 2023/24.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate she has made of the total value of funds likely to be recovered through the Voluntary repayment of Covid-19 funding scheme by 31 December 2025.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

This government is leaving no stone unturned to investigate and recover public funds lost to fraud and error during the pandemic - getting back what is owed to the British people.

At the recommendation of the Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner, the government launched the Voluntary Repayment Scheme on September 12th. The scheme is one element in a wider package of measures recommended by the Commissioner and will provide crucial learnings for his final report.

The Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) has not made an estimate of the value of funds likely to be recovered. The scheme is subject to uncertainty due to its novel nature, the time elapsed since the pandemic, and the time it takes for departments to report recovery success back to the PSFA. However, the PSFA will undertake a comprehensive assessment of the scheme’s impact once it’s concluded.

The scheme will continue to provide individuals who received money from COVID-19 support schemes which they did not need or were not eligible for, an opportunity to repay until December 2025, before the introduction of new investigatory powers in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which public body is responsible for investigating corruption in government procurement.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Tackling corruption wherever it persists is a foremost priority for this government. One key step has been appointing Tom Hayhoe as the Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner, whose role includes a focus on the procurement of PPE during the Covid-19 pandemic. The government is also bringing forward the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill which, once implemented, will give the Public Sector Fraud Authority new robust powers to investigate fraud, including procurement fraud, across the public sector.

It is the responsibility of each contracting authority to investigate corruption in their own procurement processes; the Procurement Act 2023 places a duty on them to take all reasonable steps to identify and keep under review actual or potential conflicts of interest in their procurements.

The Procurement Review Unit within the Cabinet Office has responsibility for investigating contracting authorities’ compliance with the Procurement Act 2023 and investigating suppliers where their behaviour or circumstances mean that, potentially, they should not be allowed to participate in procurements or be awarded public contracts, for example because they have been convicted of certain bribery or fraud offences.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) prevention and (b) detection measures used to identify fraudulent claims for Universal Credit by foreign nationals.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

This government takes all cases of fraud seriously and has introduced the biggest package of measures in recent history to reduce welfare fraud, error and debt, which includes new legislation, the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill. This contains new powers to modernise our defences and is currently progressing through Parliament.

In 2024-25, we saved an estimated £25bn from our up-front controls and detect activity, with the latter delivering £2bn savings and thereby significantly exceeding our Annually Managed Expenditure savings target.

The Department always checks a person’s identity and immigration status before paying them benefits if they are a foreign national. We verify this information with the Home Office, including through automatic system-to-system checks.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure compliance with benefit eligibility rules by foreign nationals.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department applies strict compliance and benefit eligibility checks to all claimants regardless of their nationality. In addition to verifying a claimant’s identity, DWP checks that claimants are habitually resident here before they can receive public funds benefits including Universal Credit. DWP also applies strict past presence requirements to ensure that claimants of disability and carer benefits have a substantial and recent connection to this country before they can claim. In addition, DWP always checks a person’s immigration status before paying them benefits if they are a foreign national. We verify this information with the Home Office, including through automatic system-to-system checks.

This Government takes all cases of fraud seriously and has introduced the biggest package of measures in recent history to reduce welfare fraud, error and debt, which includes new legislation, the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill. This contains new powers to modernise our defences and is currently progressing through Parliament.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill on financially vulnerable people in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Bill includes new and important safeguards, including new reporting mechanisms and independent oversight on the face of the Bill, to ensure we are being transparent about how the powers will be used proportionately and effectively. This Bill is estimated to deliver benefits of £1.5bn over the next five years, as certified by the Independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

The Bill’s Impact Assessment, which was rated ‘green’ by the Regulatory Policy Committee, can be found at the following link: ImpactAssessment.pdf

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many public sector contracts have been subject to fraud investigations in each year since 2019.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Information pertaining to the amount of public sector contracts subject to fraud investigations is not held by the Cabinet Office. This information would be held by relevant law enforcement authorities, or specific government departments, that carried out investigation.

Tackling public sector fraud is a priority for this government. This government is taking strong action to reduce public sector fraud - ensuring that as much public money as possible goes to delivering vital public services.

That’s why the government introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill as part of the biggest fraud crackdown in a generation. The measures in the Bill will give us more tools to combat fraud, recover public money and allow the government to investigate fraud.

The Public Sector Fraud Authority is also driving forward the development of the counter fraud approach across government, working with departments and public bodies to reduce the impact of fraud and build expert counter fraud services.

The 2024 Autumn Budget and 2025 Spring Statement also announced the most significant package of measures to tackle fraud and error in recent history. The 2025 Spending Review highlighted that Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts these measures to deliver £9.6 billion in savings by 2030.

Found: The government introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill to Parliament in January

Found: The government introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill to Parliament in January

Found: including the appointment of a Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner, introduced the Public Authorities Fraud, Error and Recovery Bill

Found: Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill CSSJ thanked UKG for discussions on the Bill so

Found: In addition to this we have introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud Error and Recovery) Bill 11292

Found: In addition to this we have introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud Error and Recovery) Bill Department

Found: cell">Meeting as part of ongoing engagement on the measures in the forthcoming Public Authorities Fraud Error and Recovery Bill

Found: including the appointment of a Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner, introduced the Public Authorities Fraud, Error and Recovery Bill

Found: Planning and Infrastructure Bill • Product Regulation and Metrology Bill • Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: Government Legal Department Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25 Case Study: Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: 2025 from Baroness Anderson of Stock on Trent to Baroness Finn regarding the Public Authorities (Fraud Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: Leckie regarding questions raised during the Committee stage (fifth day) of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: statutory body, as discussed during the Committee stage (third day) of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: Members regarding issues raised during the Committee Stage (third day) of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: United Kingdom, as discussed during the Committee Stage (fourth day) of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: reasonableness, as discussed during the Committee Stage (fourth day) of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: UK Government correspondence and minutes regarding the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: UK Government correspondence and minutes regarding the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill 25 June 2025 Consent granted Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill Consent recommended 25 June 2025 Consent granted Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (MEMORANDUM NO 4) THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES (FRAUD, ERROR AND RECOVERY) BILL

Found: report on the Supplementary Legislative Consent Memorandum (No.4) on the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: The Welsh Government’s Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: June 2025, in considering the Legislative Consent Memorandum (No. 3) on the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: Supplementary Legislative Consent Memorandum (Memorandum No. 3) on the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Found: SUPPLEMENTARY LEGISLATIVE CONSENT MEMORANDUM (MEMORANDUM NO 5) THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES (FRAUD, ERROR AND RECOVERY) BILL