Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 27894, whether her Department will pursue cases where they have no evidence.

Where DWP identifies suspected fraud that leads to a criminal investigation, the Department is obliged to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry, whether these point towards or away from a suspect. This is done in accordance with the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 and Code of Practice.

What amounts to a reasonable line of enquiry will always involve considering the facts of, and the issues in, the case. An enquiry must be proportionate, reasonable, and necessary. The decision must be based on an objective belief grounded in facts, information, or intelligence and cannot be based on any personal factors about an individual suspect.