Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the planned timeline is for the National Crime Agency’s investigation into Covid fraud.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is operationally independent of the Home Office. Decisions on whether to investigate particular matters, and how investigations are conducted, are for the Agency.

The NCA investigates fraud where cases meet the Agency’s thresholds for adoption. Other law enforcement agencies can and do investigate fraud too.

The NCA has publicly confirmed investigations into the falsification of COVID-19 vaccination records and abuse of the Bounce Back Loan scheme, among other fraud offences.

The Agency will continue to assess referrals relating to COVID-19 fraud in line with its statutory remit and operational priorities and will investigate cases that meet its adoption criteria.