Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1150707

	registered interest
	date	18/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether universal credit advances fraud was noted in her Department's risk register.
	tabling member constituency	Birkenhead
	tabling member printed	Frank Field
	uin	1899
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department keeps Risk Registers at various levels in the organisation. These risk registers are designed to ensure that key risks are captured, monitored and mitigated.</p><p> </p><p>I can confirm that Universal Credit advances fraud is recorded on Departmental risk registers as explained in the 16<sup>th</sup> October 2019 letter from the Department to the Honourable Member.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 15:43:52 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	478 label Biography information for Lord Field of Birkenhead

1150463

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Public Appointments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which public appointments she is responsible for.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	1579
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>The public appointments that the department is responsible for making are set out in the Schedule to the Public Appointments Order in Council 2019. <a href="https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-Public-Appointments-Order-In-Council.pdf" target="_blank">https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-Public-Appointments-Order-In-Council.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 14:17:42 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1150531

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the total cost to her Department of universal credit scams to date.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	1784
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>If a claimant has been the victim of a scam, and has not benefited from an advance in any way, they will not be asked to repay it. The Department considers all cases on their own merits and decisions are made on the strength of the evidence provided.</p><p> </p><p>Completed investigations thus far, have shown that the total amount claimed in fraudulent Universal Credit (UC) advances as of 30<sup>th</sup> September 2019 was £1,868,000 (rounded to the nearest thousand).</p><p> </p><p>It is important to clarify that these are not losses. The Department will endeavour to recover this money and pursue fraudsters. Recovery has already started in some of these cases.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 14:40:46 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1150532

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) individuals and (b) third party individuals investigated for universal credit fraud have been (a) referred for prosecution and (b) successfully prosecuted.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	1785
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department takes this issue very seriously and we are committed to taking appropriate action to deter this fraud.</p><p> </p><p>There are 28 individual cases being prepared for prosecution and 1 successful individual prosecution.</p><p> </p><p>There has been 1 successful third party prosecution and a 2<sup>nd</sup> third party case is due in court next month.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 14:25:25 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1150533

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to increase public awareness of universal credit scams.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	1786
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>We have raised awareness of recent Universal Credit advance payment fraud via a dedicated social media campaign, which reminds people of the importance of safeguarding their identity.  Staff throughout the Department are actively encouraged to report any instances of potentially fraudulent activity for investigation.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is committed to the prevention, detection and investigation of all types of benefit fraud. We take the issue of misuse of the welfare system very seriously and will continue to use appropriate penalties to deter fraudulent behaviour which can be very distressing for innocent victims.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>If any claimant has concerns about the safety of their personal information, they should speak to a member of Departmental staff, or get help from the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, Action Fraud, online at <a href="http://www.actionfraud.police.uk" target="_blank">www.actionfraud.police.uk</a> or by telephone on 0300 123 2040, which is promoted through display materials in Jobcentres.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 14:57:57 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1150534

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department's policy to reinstate legacy benefits to people who have been migrated from those benefits to universal credit as a result of a fraud that was not their fault.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	1787
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>The Department will review each case where a claim to Universal Credit was prompted by fraudulent activity, considering the extent to which the claimant was involved.</p><p> </p><p>If there is clear evidence that the claimant had no involvement in the fraud, and where the claimant wishes us to do so, we will consider re-instating DWP legacy benefits.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 15:05:29 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1150537

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Universal Credit: Fraud
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants of universal credit that were referred for investigation into fraud were referred after her Department introduced a requirement for claimants to attend a Jobcentre before applying for an advance payment.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	1788
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/10/2019 answer text <p>From 18<sup>th</sup> September 2019, claimants are required to attend an interview at a jobcentre to verify their identity before claiming a Universal Credit (UC) advance. This change is helping protect claimants from identity fraud and becoming victims of third party scams.</p><p> </p><p>The staff referrals we have received for UC advances fraud since 18<sup>th</sup> September 2019 equate to 6.3% of the total referrals received to date.</p><p> </p><p>It is important to clarify that the majority of these referrals will relate to advance claims made prior to 18<sup>th</sup> September 2019.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 22/10/2019 15:13:40 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury