Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether algorithms are used in her Department's integrated Risk and Intelligence Service (IRIS) or Analysis and Intelligence Hub to model or predict Universal Credit claimant's risk of fraud and error; and whether those algorithms are used to decide which claimants are investigated further.

DWP’s Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service (IRIS) is developing the use of algorithms to assist in the prevention and detection of fraud in Universal Credit.

Any risk of fraud or error identified is reviewed by a trained member of staff and this is only one of a number of verification steps which will have to be cleared before an investigation is begun or before a claim is paid.

A decision to investigate a claimant is always made by a case handler who would take into account all relevant facts and circumstances.