Public Sector Fraud Authority
(2 days, 13 hours ago)
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The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Josh Simons)
Fraud remains one of the biggest challenges facing the public sector, with estimated losses for fraud and error measured in the billions annually. The damage extends beyond just financial consequences: fraud erodes the public’s trust in our public services and confidence in the Government’s ability to protect taxpayers’ money. Working people across the country expect their taxes to fund the vital public services that they and their families rely upon. When that money instead ends up in the pockets of fraudsters, it undermines the principle that everyone should pay their fair share.
Fraud against the public sector occurs in many forms and includes procurement fraud, benefit fraud, fraud in the construction industry and the fraud experienced by the Government throughout the covid-19 pandemic. Tackling fraud against the public purse is the responsibility of the Public Sector Fraud Authority, whereas the Home Office is responsible for fraud against individuals and businesses. That is why I wish to inform the House about the record-breaking success of the Public Sector Fraud Authority in protecting taxpayers’ money. In the 12 months to April 2025, it has prevented £480 million from falling into the hands of fraudsters. This means the Government have millions more to invest in our plan for change.
These successes have been driven by artificial intelligence and advanced data-matching. The recently announced fraud risk assessment accelerator is part of this approach. The tool scans new policy proposals for potential fraud weaknesses and early tests show it could reduce the time to identify fraud risks by 80%, while preserving essential human oversight. The UK intends to license this technology internationally.
The Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner has been tasked with recovering taxpayers’ money from fraudsters. Over a third of the money saved by the Public Sector Fraud Authority—£186 million—comes from tackling fraud committed during the covid-19 pandemic. The National Fraud Initiative sits in the Public Sector Fraud Authority and is also responsible for a significant amount of these savings. It has prevented over £68 million in wrongful pension payments and saved £36 million for local councils across the country.
Wider investment in counter-fraud includes the introduction of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, and investment in significant measures that will deliver an estimated £9.6 billion in savings by 2030. This record-breaking year demonstrates that with the right technology, determination and leadership, we can go further, and do more, to protect taxpayers’ money while delivering the Government’s plan for change that our country needs.
[HCWS969]
Children’s Hospice Funding
(2 days, 13 hours ago)
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The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)
I am delighted to announce to the House today that the Government and NHS England can now confirm the continuation of the centrally administered children’s hospice funding, previously known as the children’s hospice grant, for the three years of the next spending review period, 2026-27 to 2028-29 inclusive.
This Government have already made it clear that we hugely value the important role that hospices play in supporting the palliative care and end of life care sector and the big role they will play in the shift of care from hospital to community settings, including via integrated neighbourhood health teams.
In December 2024, we announced the biggest investment in a generation for hospices, providing £100 million in capital funding to adult and children’s hospices across England over 2024-25 and 2025-26, and continued revenue funding for children’s hospices of £26 million in 2025-26.
We are now confirming that children’s hospices will receive further revenue funding for the next three years: 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29. This funding will see circa £26 million (adjusted for inflation) allocated to children’s hospices in England each year, via their local integrated commissioning boards on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024-25 and 2025-26. This amounts to at least £78 million over the next three years.
This is in line with our 10-year health plan, promoting a more consistent national approach, while also supporting commissioners in prioritising the palliative care and end of life care needs of their local population. Further details on the process and delivery of this funding will follow in due course. The allocations to individual children’s hospices will be refreshed to reflect updated prevalence data.
This funding will be in addition to existing local arrangements for services commissioned from children’s hospices, and any locally agreed funding to hospices should continue at the discretion of the relevant ICBs, which are responsible for commissioning palliative care to meet the needs of their populations.
This Government’s commitment to provide this much-needed funding until the end of the spending review period recognises that children’s hospices need funding certainty in order to plan ahead, rather than relying on year-on-year funding decisions, and also acknowledges the invaluable support that children’s hospices provide to children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and their loved ones.
Meanwhile, ICBs will work to embed strategic commissioning approaches, with the support of the Department and NHS England, to ensure that population of children and young people with palliative care and end of life care needs, including those currently met through the centrally administered children’s hospice funding, are fully incorporated into their five-year organisational plans, as outlined in the planning framework.
We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life, and we recognise that access to high-quality, personalised palliative care can make all the difference for seriously ill children and their families. This funding will allow children’s hospices to continue to provide this all-important support to those who need it most, at some of the most difficult times of their lives.
More widely on palliative care and end of life care, the Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards all-age strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to ensure that the services reduce variation in access and quality.
Being able to plan for the long term is of vital importance to our children’s hospices, so I am proud that this Government have removed the “cliff edge” of annual funding cycles, so that our children’s hospices will now be able to operate on the basis of far greater certainty and stability.
[HCWS970]
Health and Care System: Tackling Antisemitism and Racism
(2 days, 13 hours ago)
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The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)
Today I am updating the House on urgent action to tackle antisemitism and racism across the NHS.
The NHS is a universal service which demands the highest standards of care and respect for all patients, regardless of their background. It is unacceptable that many people, including those in the Jewish community, do not currently feel safe working in or using the NHS.
The vast majority of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers embody the very best of our country. But recent cases have exposed something deeply troubling.
That is why we are taking immediate action.
I have commissioned Lord Mann, the Government’s adviser on antisemitism, to conduct a rapid review into how healthcare regulators can better tackle racism. As well as addressing the real challenges of antisemitism, I also expect Lord Mann’s recommendations to improve the NHS’s ability to tackle all forms of racism in its ranks.
At the same time, all 1.5 million NHS staff will be required to complete updated mandatory antisemitism and anti-racism training, with existing equality, diversity and human rights programmes being expanded.
We are also asking NHS England and all Department of Health and Social Care arm’s length bodies to explicitly adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism to ensure consistency across the health system. NHS trusts and integrated care boards are being strongly encouraged to follow suit. The Government are also reviewing the recommendations of the independent working group on Islamophobia.
NHS England is reviewing the uniform and workwear guidance last updated in 2020, in light of recent successful approaches rolled out at University College London Hospitals NHS foundation trust and Manchester University NHS foundation trust. NHS England will engage stake- holders on its proposals and issue new guidance shortly. The principles of this guidance will be that religious freedom of expression will be protected, patients feel safe and respected at all times, and that staff political views do not impact on patients’ care or comfort.
Together, these actions will help us build a health and care system where everyone feels safe to work and be treated.
[HCWS971]