Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 4170 on Fraud: Coronavirus, what proportion of the recovered £88 million is designated as (a) fraud and (b) error.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system and has invested over an extra £1bn in tackling fraud and error since Autumn 2021 across government. This includes the launch of the Public Sector Fraud Authority in August 2022 which builds on lessons learned in the management of fraud risk and loss in the pandemic.
The government’s ‘Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report 2022’ showed that at the end of March 2021 there had been £88.2m of fraud and error recovered within COVID-19 schemes (excluding HMRC-administered COVID-19 schemes and any fraud and error related to tax and welfare). Of this, £19.6m was reported by departments as fraud and £68.6m was reported as error. These figures only represent 2020-2021 data, since then, further funds have been recovered.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the total value of fraudulent claims under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme; and how much and what proportion of those claims the Government has recovered as of 17 January 2024.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Information on His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs estimates regarding the rate of error and fraud for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the other COVID-19 support schemes administered by HMRC is available at the following link : https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measuring-error-and-fraud-in-the-covid-19-schemes/error-and-fraud-in-the-covid-19-schemes-methodology-and-approach-an-update-for-2023
Information regarding HMRC’s compliance activity in the COVID-19 support schemes is available at the following link:
committees.parliament.uk/publications/42603/documents/211751/default/
Asked by: Pat McFadden (Labour - Wolverhampton South East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by her Department in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.
The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report. This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.
Due to the recent Machinery of Government changes, the Department for Business and Trade have not yet published any fraud and error estimates.
The latest published figures available for the Department for International Trade are available in the 2022 Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report.
The latest Government figures made available in the BEIS Annual Report and Accounts (2022/2023), for all BEIS activities, indicated that estimated expected losses due to fraud and error within the Bounce Back Loan Scheme will be £1.74bn. There are not material levels of fraud and error within the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme or the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
Other losses include £4 million in relation to 2 suspected fraudulent payments within the Future Fund Scheme.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been prosecuted for fraud relating to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme as of 12 September 2023.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Ongoing criminal investigation activity by HMRC against the covid support schemes has been reported in HMRC’s annual report and accounts 2022-23, which can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023. This ongoing activity has yet to be concluded within the criminal justice system and is subject to those timescales.
As of 12 September 2023, there has been one prosecution resulting in a conviction for fraud related to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).
Apr. 24 2024
Source Page: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Final Evaluation July 2023Found: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Final Evaluation July 2023
Mar. 14 2024
Source Page: Government Counter Fraud Functional Strategy 2024-2027Found: Government Counter Fraud Functional Strategy 2024-2027
Jan. 10 2024
Source Page: Crime stats backdated: FOI releaseFound: 5,207 Shoplifting 27,161 28,000 28,745 29,796 Other theft 55,494 49,739 45,266 45,451 Fraud
Apr. 24 2024
Source Page: The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme final evaluation 2023Found: Error and fraud were effectively managed throughout the lifetime of the SEISS.
Mar. 01 2024
Source Page: Statement of Excesses 2022-23Found: Governmental response to the coronavirus Covid ‑19 pandemic.
Written Evidence Nov. 15 2023
Inquiry: FraudFound: FRA0010 - Fraud Cardiff University Written Evidence