The UK government is expanding its scrutiny of benefit claimants\u2019 bank accounts. The move will see new anti-fraud powers, first associated with Universal Credit, applied to Pension Credit recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decision has drawn political and campaign-level attention, particularly over the potential impact on older people. Ministers say the aim is to curb fraud and overpayments, yet critics warn of unintended consequences for pensioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP<\/em><\/strong>) is preparing to \u201cextend\u201d enhanced bank account checks to those claiming Pension Credit<\/em>, after initially focusing on Universal Credit<\/em>. According to the Telegraph<\/em><\/strong>, campaigners fear that elderly claimants could face lengthy appeals if they are wrongly targeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The expanded powers would allow the DWP<\/em><\/strong> to require banks to share specific information as part of fraud investigations. According to the Telegraph, these measures were first introduced in relation to Universal Credit and are now set to apply to Pension Credit as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown<\/em><\/strong>, chair of the Public Accounts Committee<\/a><\/em>, has urged caution. He told the Telegraph that the department\u2019s new powers to access bank data \u201cshould have the risk of overreach mitigated against from the outset<\/em>\u201d. He added that the committee would monitor the department closely if the approach were used unfairly against elderly pensioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\nScrutiny Widens beyond Universal Credit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n