Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 21 of her Department's policy paper entitled Fraud Strategy: stopping scams and protecting the public, published in May 2023, when she plans to launch the first phase of the independent review on the disclosure regime.

As announced in the Fraud Strategy, the Home Office, in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice, will shortly launch an independent review into the challenges of investigating and prosecuting fraud.

The review will consider the following:

Phase 1

• Modernising the disclosure regime for cases with large volumes of digital evidence.

Phase 2

• Whether fraud offences and the Fraud Act 2006 meet the challenges of modern fraud, including whether penalties still fit the crime.
• Creating civil orders and penalties to prevent fraudsters reoffending.
• Making it easier for individuals to inform on associates in criminal fraud networks

The terms of reference will be published once a review chair is in post and the review is launched. The Home Office is working with the Ministry of Justice to identify suitable candidates to lead the review.