The Fraud Plan, published in May 2022, sets out the ambitions for the use of the Powers of Arrest for DWP staff when parliamentary time allows. This will be limited solely to use in DWP\u2019s Economic and Serious Organised Crime investigations.<\/p>
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To date, DWP have engaged with the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and the National Police Lead for Fraud in relation to this policy. We will continue to engage with NPCC and more widely with the police in developing this measure.<\/p>
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DWP plans to fully engage with the trade unions prior to the implementation of these powers.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4369", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Tom Pursglove"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Corby"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Tom Pursglove"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-11-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "2718"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-11-27T17:25:28.357Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-11-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Social Security Benefits: Fraud"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the (a) National Police Chiefs Council and (b) Police Federation on expanding powers of arrest to DWP benefit investigators.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4809", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Beth Winter"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Cynon Valley"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Beth Winter"} ], "uin" : "2717"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1463206", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Attorney General"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1463206/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
In the last financial year, the Serious Fraud Office prosecuted two corporates, recovered over £45m in proceeds of crime and agreed three Deferred Prosecution Agreements. Between February 2022 and January 2023, the SFO has eight trials; 23 people have been charged with criminality worth over £550m.<\/p>
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The Law Officers meet regularly with senior officials at the Serious Fraud Office to discuss strategy and funding; through these meetings, as well as regular engagement between my Office and the Serious Fraud Office, I am confident that the organisation has the resource required for those trials.<\/p>
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The Government is committed to tackling fraud and economic crime, and the 10-year Fraud Strategy that will be published this year will set out plans to address the threat of fraud including the prosecution of fraudsters.<\/p>
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The majority of Serious Fraud Office cases already pass the \u2018no case to answer\u2019 stage. This is when the Judge rules that the prosecution\u2019s evidence is sufficient, the trial will proceed to enable a jury to consider its verdict. It is not within the gift of the Serious Fraud Office, or the Government, to influence this.<\/p>
<\/p>
In addition to the Fraud Strategy, the Serious Fraud Office received a funding uplift in the 2021 Spending Review, which included £4.4m over three years to invest in technology. This investment will complement the wider work that they are doing to reduce case lengths over the same period. This will have a positive impact on the SFO\u2019s capacity to tackle serious economic crime.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4481", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alex Chalk"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Cheltenham"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Alex Chalk"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-05-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "2716"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-05-23T08:58:20.933Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "88"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Attorney General"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Attorney General"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-05-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Economic Crime and Fraud: Prosecutions"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Government is taking to improve prosecution rates for (a) fraud and (b) other economic crime.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4844", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Matt Vickers"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stockton South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Matt Vickers"} ], "uin" : "2717"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1151145", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1151145/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding (known as gavage) raises serious welfare concerns. The production of foie gras by force feeding is banned in the UK as it is incompatible with our domestic legislation. We recognise the strength of feeling on this issue and once we leave the EU, it will be possible for the Government to review the approach to such imports and sales in the UK.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3934", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for George Eustice"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Camborne and Redruth"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "George Eustice"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-10-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "2718"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-10-29T11:57:41.17Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "13"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-10-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Foie Gras: Imports"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ban the import of Foie Gras into the UK.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1447", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Rosindell"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Rosindell"} ], "uin" : "2717"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/748078", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/748078/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "