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Department for Work and Pensions: Fraud and Maladministration

Question for Department for Work and Pensions

UIN 17121, tabled on 5 March 2024

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Answered on

11 March 2024

The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.

Estimates of overpayments due to fraud and error in the benefit system, for the last three financial years can be found here: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2022 to 2023 estimates - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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