{"id":108889,"date":"2025-05-12T11:05:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T10:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=108889"},"modified":"2025-05-12T11:02:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T10:02:32","slug":"dwp-bill-could-target-10000-claimants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/dwp-bill-could-target-10000-claimants\/","title":{"rendered":"DWP Bill Could Target 10,000 Claimants With No Evidence of Fraud"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The UK government is pressing ahead with a new Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Fraud Bill<\/strong>, granting powers to access bank account data of people receiving benefits, in a move described by critics as an overreach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legislation will allow DWP officials to request financial information directly from banks, without prior suspicion of wrongdoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns have been raised by MPs and campaigners over the scale and scope of the proposed powers. They argue that such measures could undermine long-standing legal principles and disproportionately impact vulnerable groups, including disabled benefit recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government Defends Early Detection Strategy to Reduce Incorrect Payments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The DWP states the aim of the bill is to strengthen its ability to detect and prevent fraud, especially in cases of organised crime<\/strong> and online fraud<\/strong>. According to Minister Andrew Western<\/a>, the new powers would allow the department to work more efficiently with banks, helping to identify irregular payments earlier, even before formal suspicion arises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Western clarified that the legislation \u201cis not a power to be used to respond to suspected fraud\u201d but a preventive tool designed to catch errors or misuse of funds before they escalate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also insisted the process would include \u201crobust safeguards<\/strong>, reporting mechanisms and independent oversight\u201d, intended to balance fraud <\/a>prevention with respect for personal privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the DWP, no financial data would be transferred automatically or en masse. Instead, banks would be required to flag accounts meeting certain criteria, with the DWP then authorised to investigate further. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Existing powers under the Social Security Administration Act<\/strong> already allow limited access to financial information, but the new bill significantly expands the scope and reduces the threshold for action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warnings Over Wrongful Scrutiny and Legal Implications<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
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Despite assurances, opposition MPs and campaigners have voiced strong objections. Former Conservative cabinet minister David Davis<\/strong> <\/a>warned that using algorithms to flag suspicious activity could wrongly implicate thousands.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cIf the banks use algorithms they\u2019ll have an error rate of at least 1%,\u201d he said, \u201cThat means there\u2019ll be 10,000 innocent people<\/strong> or more dragged through the system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan<\/strong> echoed those concerns, stating the poorest in society would bear the brunt. He emphasised that the bill is \u201ccompelling banks to trawl through financial information even where there is no suspicion of wrongdoing\u201d, undermining the presumption of innocence<\/strong>, a foundational principle in British law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another MP, Richard Burgon<\/strong>, said the policy formed part of a broader move toward a \u201chostile environment\u201d for benefit claimants, particularly those with disabilities. He described the measure as emblematic of \u201ctreating claimants as suspects automatically\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new DWP fraud bill is sparking concern over expanded powers to access benefit claimants\u2019 bank accounts. Critics say the legislation allows officials to examine personal financial data even when no wrongdoing is suspected. Up to 10,000 people could be wrongly caught in the system, prompting fears of unjust scrutiny.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":108891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-welfare","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108889"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108892,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108889\/revisions\/108892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}