DWP to get powers of arrest, search and seizure

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

Hardly in a position to be able to judge then.

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?

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

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

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.

Have you reported them? Surely you should?

Esspee

Being poor is no excuse for theft from.the taxpayer.

Oh but being rich clearly is, given the examples of our government. They nick far more than the poor too. All safely stashed off shore.

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.

sentences!

Mind you I do think there are some in government who should be serving prison sentances for increasing the level of poverty we are expected to survive on if it gets to that point, and for increasing the numbers suffering from it.

Who has suggested it is Esspee?

Being poor is no excuse for theft from.the taxpayer.

Granny23

Excellent news for those whose money is invested overseas.

Terrifying for those who are reliant on benefits to survive.

e.g. My friends, who made a claim for supplementary pension, were awarded it and over a year later told that it was a mistake by the DWP and they would need to repay it all in full. So, a large drop in income and a huge debt to be repaid, through no fault of their own.

That amount will have been shown under "fraud and errors" Granny23. I don't see how we can get a clear view of any issues when they do that.

The Government has not issued a timetable for this apparently. (Source: Daily Mirror) It needs an Act of Parliament - but it’s thought this would only be introduced from May 2023 at the earliest. Just before an intended GE in 2024 perhaps?

I would like to see some actual fraud figures. Those we get always include the DWP and client errors, not just fraud. We need to see those errors separately for both for the DWP and their clients. This could simply indicate that the system isn't working. Better to spend money on simplifying and automating that than dashing for the red meat, I would have thought.

*contracts

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?

Excellent news for those whose money is invested overseas.

Terrifying for those who are reliant on benefits to survive.

e.g. My friends, who made a claim for supplementary pension, were awarded it and over a year later told that it was a mistake by the DWP and they would need to repay it all in full. So, a large drop in income and a huge debt to be repaid, through no fault of their own.

Sounds like the criminalisation of being unemployed to me. A bit like the fines given to the homeless for trying to sleep in public.

Germanshepherdsmum

In principle I’m in favour of the DWP having the same powers as HMRC.

HMRC use their powers very sparingly though.

My thoughts exactly FarNorth.
A friend of my Dil had a visit from them as someone told them she had a man living with her whilst claiming to be single.
They went through the house with a fine tooth combe,found nothing then just left,no apologies,nothing.
It made her quite poorly.

I think they are mentioned (well, alluded to) in para 4 of the OP, da.

Which are GSM?

In principle I’m in favour of the DWP having the same powers as HMRC.

That is very frightening, especially given the scale of incompetence that already exists in the DWP.

Hmm, will it be applied retrospectively? I d love to see the government held to account for all the fraud they enabled when distributing the billions of pounds of financial “aid” during the pandemic…