DWP to get powers of arrest, search and seizure

There doesn't seem to be an Act of Parliament needed - it's probably being pushed through as a "statutory instrument".

The DWP are recruiting staff for this now, and hope to have the system in place by Autumn.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/dwp-staff-power-arrest-brits-27002864

Anecdotal evidence GSM or, as I am sure you would say in court, hearsay.

If this is true (and I don't doubt you believe it is) then they are already liable under the current law. All it takes is those in the know, to report them and they will be investigated.

Isn't it your duty to do that?

Germanshepherdsmum

I was told about this in confidence and won’t be reporting it.

Hardly in a position to be able to judge then.

The DWP is responsible for thousands of deaths.
Fact .
People who are ill often terminally have to face panels of non qualified individuals to PROVE they need help
Often,more often than not its refused and needs appealed -
The "panels" cost more than the benefits would .
I know this because in our area ,to get a blue badge,my daughter had to be in receipt of some benefit.
She didn't want money just the badge ,it would enable her to take her children out as she could park near to where they wanted to be .
The appeal was refused too .Then she appealed again and was awarded PIP at the lowest level .
That was great .Shouldn't have had the stress and humiliation of the panels though .
She has Ehlers Danners(sp) fibromyalgia and 13 that is 13 other conditions that mean she is mainly confined to bed .
In no ones imagination was she trying to defraud the system and had all the medical records to prove it .
They already treat people like shit but this takes it to whole other level .Why aren't people up in arms about this treatment of people in need.
The amount of fraud is miniscule in comparison to the fraud committed by big business and the mega rich ...go after them instead.
My daughter doesn't need her badge now ,she cant leave her home and her children are carers for her most of the time .
At least they didn't manage to kill her as they have thousands of others

Germanshepherdsmum

I know of one person who receives benefits but has a very considerable amount of inherited money held in cash (well in excess of the benefits threshold and not declared for IHT) and two bank accounts - one to produce when required and one kept secret. If you met the person you’d never suspect it.

I don't blame someone for hiding money like that, given the likelihood that they could be left with no income at any time because of DWP incompetence or/and vindictive policies.

DaisyAnne

Anecdotal evidence GSM or, as I am sure you would say in court, hearsay.

If this is true (and I don't doubt you believe it is) then they are already liable under the current law. All it takes is those in the know, to report them and they will be investigated.

Isn't it your duty to do that?

No it isn’t Daisy. As you correctly say, my evidence is hearsay but I have no reason to doubt the veracity of what the first hand witness told me, having seen for myself the mismatch between lifestyle and income.

oh great so as well as having to sit through pip assessments and filling of endless forms and fit for work assessments at the job centre, my dd with a severe disability now may have the DWP turning up at her home
Local authorities already do quite extensive financial checks on those with disabilities for contribution to care assessment
I don't need to be told it wont affect those with disabilities, it really will - all of us with experience know it will. They couldn't run a piss up during a pandemic with a suitcase and a cheese selection...oh hang on

Spending in 2020-21 on Universal Credit was £38.2 billion. Some of that included the temporary £20pw during the pandemic, so was slightly inflated. Pensions and other benefits for the elderly and disabled make up the vast majority of other spending.

If there have been £8.4 billion in overpayments and all of it involves Universal Credit, it doesn't really seem credible that nearly 20% of UC claims are the result of fraud. So, presumably, the elderly and disabled are responsible for some of it (according to the government ).

JaneJudge

oh great so as well as having to sit through pip assessments and filling of endless forms and fit for work assessments at the job centre, my dd with a severe disability now may have the DWP turning up at her home
Local authorities already do quite extensive financial checks on those with disabilities for contribution to care assessment
I don't need to be told it wont affect those with disabilities, it really will - all of us with experience know it will. They couldn't run a piss up during a pandemic with a suitcase and a cheese selection...oh hang on

Oh! I expect she'll be subjected to a lie detector test!

GSM - I have a friend - big house, his and her gas-guzzlers, she is ‘employed’ in her husband’s factory, but barely knows where it is etc. She has 2 sons, both 40’s. One has never worked a day in his life and is allegedly mentally ill, while the other has had several jobs but doesn’t keep them - he last worked about 4 years ago and they are both in receipt of every benefit they can get.
When their grandmother died, she had left them substantial amounts, but as it would affect their benefits, my friend ‘oversees’ their money and hands it out as and when. The younger is currently in Turkey, having been to Portugal in April.
Another friend and I did report the mentally ill son to DVLA, when he acquired a car, as his medication prevented him driving and his Mother had lied to the insurance company.

Perhaps I’m naive, but I suppose it takes some pressure off the Val ready overstretched Police.

Running piss-ups does seem to be their forté.

GagaJo

I'll apologise now. I can feel rants coming on.

Decimate industry. Allow zero hours contract. Change the benefit system to one that leaves people hungry and unable to meet bills. Bleed the tax payer dry through embezzlement of taxes. And then allow the persecution of the unemployed/under employed.

Surely it would be better to spend the money ON the poor instead of hounding them?

No rant from me. I agree with you.

Germanshepherdsmum

I know of one person who receives benefits but has a very considerable amount of inherited money held in cash (well in excess of the benefits threshold and not declared for IHT) and two bank accounts - one to produce when required and one kept secret. If you met the person you’d never suspect it.

In that case, why not report them? It can be done anonymously.

It would be very obvious that the information emanated from the person who told me. I wouldn’t put them in that position.

I worked at the DWP (many years ago), and have "worked" with disability advocacy, around sickness/disability benefits, (voluntary) since.

All I will say about "hiding" money, is that putting them in separate accounts won't work now for very long. Assuming it's in the same name, of course.

The Revenue link to the DWP now, via the taxation system, is applied to all banks/building societies, , and National Insurance.

A link will flag up, sooner or later.

And then that person takes the risk of being prosecuted for benefit fraud, and definitely having to pay back any overpayment.

With the cross matching of finances now, it honestly isn't worth the risk.

Excellent.

Spending £200 million? Do they have evidence that this can be recouped from fraudulent claimants?
Taxpayers might want to know if their money is being invested wisely in this programme.

See figures above.

So you think that 20% of claims are fraudulent (unless you think pensioners are crooks). The figure don't add up.

Claimant fraud was not that high, but, during the initial stages of Covid, fewer checks were made with Universal Credit, and there were a lot more fraudulent claims.

As happened with furlough and "grants" - checks, in the rush, just weren't carried out properly.

Pensioner fraud is generally low, and sickness/disability fraud has never been very high, despite the myths from right wing newspapers.?

The highest frauds were around a change of circumstances not being reported (usually someone moves in with a new partner and doesn't tell them), which affects payments and the housing element, or where someone is working "off record" and claiming a benefit as not working.

DWP error, now lumped in with fraud, has always been pretty high.

They will spend the money on new "initiatives", because it plays well to the public, and they see prosecutions as having a deterrent effect.

Germanshepherdsmum

DaisyAnne

Anecdotal evidence GSM or, as I am sure you would say in court, hearsay.

If this is true (and I don't doubt you believe it is) then they are already liable under the current law. All it takes is those in the know, to report them and they will be investigated.

Isn't it your duty to do that?

No it isn’t Daisy. As you correctly say, my evidence is hearsay but I have no reason to doubt the veracity of what the first hand witness told me, having seen for myself the mismatch between lifestyle and income.

So it wasn't the person you believe to be doing it who told you?

I thought I’d made it clear that it wasn’t.

Bloody hell. How on earth will we ever get jobs when fraud is the focus

Eh?

They are supposed to help the unemployed into work