Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Cooper and Stephen Timms

Monday 12th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[John Cooper (Dumfries and Galloway) (Con)]

In Scotland, benefit crime has effectively been decriminalised, and the Scottish Conservatives have raised the case of people being coached on how to fiddle the system. When I have asked the DWP about it, the reply has basically been, “Nothing to do with us, guv.” Is there not a moral imperative to do something about that issue?

[Sir Stephen Timms]

Yes, there is. We are looking at some of the developments in social media and at the kinds of coaching, including where people are being charged for advice that they could obtain for free and without difficulty. We are looking at all of that at the moment.