PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Benefit Fraud - 5 December 2022 (Commons/Commons Chamber)
Debate Detail
Contributions from Sir Mel Stride, are highlighted with a yellow border.
Vicky Ford
Chelmsford
15:03:12
Mel Stride
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Dealing with fraud is, of course, a key mission for the Department. We have recently announced two tranches of additional investment totalling £900 million to prevent more than £1 billion-worth of fraud by 2024-25.
15:03:32
Vicky Ford
At difficult economic times like this it is particularly important for us to protect taxpayers’ money, so I welcome the Government’s further investment to tackle fraud, but what efforts are they making to address organised crime in the benefits system?
Mel Stride
My right hon. Friend has raised an extremely important matter. Unfortunately, fraud does not happen just at the level of the individual, but involves organised crime as well. Since July 2019, the Department has secured the removal of 1,500 social media accounts, many of which were related to organised crime, and since May 2020 it has suspended 170,000 claims.
Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.