Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the letter of 21 November 2020 from the Permanent Secretary to the Work and Pensions Committee, how many cases of universal credit identity hijack have been referred to the Stolen Identity Team since 24 June 2020.

As at 8 December 2020, the total number of suspected cases of Universal Credit identity hijack referred to the Stolen Identity Team since 24 June 2020 was 5,894.

The vast majority of benefit expenditure is paid correctly, with front line staff working hard to prevent incorrect and fraudulent payments. We are constantly improving our processes and continue to use data to identify fraud and better target our investigations.

The Department continues to take fraud seriously, and will continue to challenge people who seek to abuse the system, employing the full range of penalties at its disposal.