Written Statements

Wednesday 3rd May 2023 Written Statements

Wednesday 3 May 2023

Service Complaints Ombudsman: Annual Report 2022

Wednesday 3rd May 2023 Written Statements

[The Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families (Dr Andrew Murrison)]

I am pleased to lay before Parliament today the Service Complaints Ombudsman’s annual report for 2022 on the fairness, effectiveness and efficiency of the service complaints system.



This report is published by Mariette Hughes and covers the operation of the service complaints system and the work of her office in her second year as Service Complaints Ombudsman for the armed forces.



The findings of the report and the recommendations made will now be considered fully by the Ministry of Defence, and a formal response to the ombudsman will follow once that work is complete.

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Agenda for Change: Pay Deal

Wednesday 3rd May 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Steve Barclay)]

I am pleased to be able to inform the House that today I am formally confirming that the Government will move to implement the offer made to “Agenda for Change” staff, following the request from the Staff Council on 2 May.

Following consultations with their members, the majority of the AfC unions voted to both accept and implement the offer, which was supported by employers.

As a result, over 1 million eligible NHS staff on the “Agenda for Change” contract will receive two non-consolidated payments for 2022-23. This is on top of an at least £1,400 consolidated pay award that they have already received, which was in line with the recommendations of the independent pay review body.

Eligible AfC staff will receive an award worth 2% of an individual’s salary for 2022-23. In addition, these staff will receive a one-off bonus that recognises the sustained pressure facing the NHS following the covid-19 pandemic and the extraordinary effort these members of staff have been making to hit backlog recovery targets. This NHS backlog bonus is an investment worth an additional 4% of the “Agenda for Change” pay bill, and will mean staff will receive an additional payment of between £1,250 and £1,600. With both of these payments, a nurse at the top of band 5, for example, will receive over £2,000 in total.

For 2023-24, the Government will implement a 5% consolidated increase in pay, backdated to April 2023. In addition, the lowest paid staff will see their pay matched to the top of band 2, which is over £1 more per hour than the national living wage.

As a result, a newly qualified nurse will see their salary go up by more than £2,750 over two years from 2021-22 to 2023-24. On top of this, they will also receive over £1,890 in one-off payments for the 2022-23 financial year.

An experienced paramedic at the entry point of band 6 will see their salary go up by more than £3,000 over two years, from 2021-22 to 2023-24. On top of this, they will also receive over £2,000 in one-off payments for the 2022-23 financial year.

The Government will therefore no longer be seeking recommendations on the 2023-24 pay award from the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB). However, the Government continue to value the work of the NHSPRB and would welcome its observations on the pay deal in England. The Government have written to the NHSPRB to confirm this.

On top of the pay package, the Government have also committed to important measures, including but not limited to:

a review into the timing and appointment process of the NHSPRB to ensure that the pay-setting process and the NHSPRB operates effectively;

identifying ways to tackle and reduce violence against staff;

amendments to terms and conditions to support existing NHS staff develop their careers through apprenticeships;

improving support for newly qualified healthcare registrants; and

Staff Council consideration of the application of a cap to redundancy payments of £100,000 and over.

This package, alongside the comprehensive NHS long-term workforce plan, which NHS England will publish shortly, will help ensure that the NHS can recruit and retain the staff it needs to meet the growing and changing health and wellbeing needs of patients.

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Government’s Fraud Strategy

Wednesday 3rd May 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Suella Braverman)]

Fraud is the most common crime in England and Wales, accounting for more than 40% of all crime. It is a despicable crime which causes deep distress and harm to victims. One in 15 adults were affected last year—and Action Fraud estimates that more than £4 billion has been lost to scammers across the UK since March.



It is also clear that fraud intersects with other areas of national security, including serious and organised crime, and terrorism.



It is time for a step-change in our response to fraud. Today, the Government are publishing a strategy that sets out our plans to tackle fraudsters head on and cut fraud by 10% by the end of 2024, protecting the British people’s hard-earned cash from criminals and putting more fraudsters behind bars.



The Government have already made a £400 million investment, starting last year, to the police and other agencies to combat economic crime. This includes £100 million for fraud.



Both the UK Government and the devolved Administrations are committed to combating fraud. We will continue to ensure that collective issues are addressed collaboratively, and we will build upon the close operational co-operation of policing and the NCA across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.



The strategy to tackle fraud has three elements. First, Government and law enforcement will pursue more fraudsters and bring them to justice. Secondly, Government and industry will work together to stop fraud attempts. And thirdly, the British people will be more empowered to recognise, avoid, and report fraud when they encounter it, and better supported when they do fall victim to it.



The strategy contains over 50 ambitious actions. Key actions include:



Measures to stop criminals abusing the telephone network, including a ban on SIM farms, exploring regulation of mass texting service and restrictions on number “spoofing”.

A ban on cold calls on financial products.

Protecting more people online by driving industry action, including through the world leading Online Safety Bill, commitments from tech firms to make it easier to report scams, and publishing information on the levels of fraud on different platforms.

Establishment of a National Fraud Squad with 400 new investigators.

Replacement of Action Fraud, to make it easier for victims to report fraud and for law enforcement to use and share data.

The appointment of Anthony Browne MP as Anti-Fraud Champion.

A new UKIC cell to drive intelligence-led lead disruptions.

Ensuring more people get their money back by changing the law to require banks and financial institutions to pay back victims of fraud.

Stopping criminals from abusing the telecommunications networks



The Government will not tolerate the barrage of scam texts and bogus phone calls that are causing misery to so many.



Many fraudsters “spoof” or change their number to impersonate legitimate businesses, like our banks, and hide their identity. Regulators will clamp down on these criminals “spoofing” UK numbers, making it harder for them to deceive victims.



Many scam text campaigns can be traced to SIM farms, devices that can send thousands of scam texts in seconds. While most frequently used for fraudulent texts, we know that they are widely used by criminal gangs. Today, the Government have published a consultation on banning SIM farms and asking what other technologies or devices should be made illegal.



There will also be a review of mass texting services. While there are many legitimate uses of these services—like restaurant bookings, appointment reminders and delivery updates—there is some evidence to suggest that these services are being abused by criminals.



A ban on cold calling on investment products



Government will consult on how best to ban cold calls on financial products so that fraudsters cannot dupe people into buying fake investments or other illegitimate financial products. This will extend an existing ban on cold calling, for instance on pensions, so the public will know that cold calls about any financial products are illegitimate.



Action from the tech sector



Government and industry will root out fraud on social media platforms. Through the Online Safety Bill, user-to-user platforms will be required, by law, to put in place systems to prevent fraudulent content appearing on their platforms. This includes scam adverts and fake celebrity endorsements, with heavy fines for those who fail to protect their users. It should be as simple as possible to report fraud on all platforms—ensuring action is taken and suspect content removed. Government have asked tech firms to adopt a simple and consistent way to report with the click of a button. Government have also asked all large tech companies to check that firms advertising financial investments on their platforms are registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Government, working with regulators, will also publish data on which websites and social media platforms are the safest to use and which ones host the most fraudulent content.



A new National Fraud Squad



A new National Fraud Squad is being created with 400 new investigators, taking a proactive, intelligence-led approach and focusing on high-end fraud and organised crime. The Fraud Squad will be jointly led by the National Crime Agency and City of London Police. The Home Secretary has already made fighting fraud a priority for all forces by including fraud in the National Strategic Policing Requirement and specifying the capabilities each force should have in place to tackle fraud. The Strategic Policing Requirement was published in March this year.



Replacing Action Fraud



Government are investing £30 million over three years to turn Action Fraud into a state-of-the-art reporting centre, including a simple to use reporting website and upgraded call centre with reduced waiting times. There will also be a portal so that victims can receive timely updates on the progress of their case.



A new Anti-Fraud Champion



Anthony Browne MP has been appointed by the Home Secretary as the Prime Minister’s Anti-Fraud Champion, to help drive Government work with UK and global businesses that will ensure that all sectors and industries are playing their part in eliminating fraud.

Intelligence led response and disruptive activity



The UK Intelligence Community is also being deployed to identify and disrupt more fraudsters. This will be supported by a multi-agency fraud cell which will produce high-quality intelligence packages so that collective resource can be dedicated to where they will have most impact.



More victims of fraud will be reimbursed



Government are also changing the law through the Financial Services and Markets Bill so that more victims of fraud will get their money back. Victims of unauthorised fraud—like bank card theft—are entitled by law to get their money back from their banks within 48 hours. Victims of authorised fraud—where victims are tricked into handing over their money—are not offered the same protections. We will change this by giving the regulator the power to mandate that payment service providers reimburse, so that victims of authorised fraud receive the same protections. Many banks already do this, but the new duty on banks will ensure a more consistent framework for reimbursement to victims.



Both the fraud strategy (CP 839) and consultation on SIM farms (CP 843) have been laid before the House and are also available on www.gov.uk.

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