Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Ruth George (Labour) on Tuesday, 24 September 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 30 September 2019 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Monday, 30 September 2019. A substantive answer was provided by Guy Opperman (Conservative) on Tuesday, 1 October 2019 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Universal Credit: Fraud

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, at what point during the universal credit claim process her Department checks claims for potentially fraudulent details.

Answer

Effective identity verification and authentication, using commonly applied standards across the Department, protects claimants' personal data and makes a direct contribution to the prevention of fraud.

There are various ways in which a claimant can verify their identity to support a new claim to Universal Credit: online using the electronic Verify system; in person using primary and secondary ID verification or; by using biographical questions, for those who do not have identity documents.

Staff are encouraged to report any instances of potentially fraudulent activity. All claims where fraud may have been committed are investigated. We will use penalties such as prosecutions and tough financial penalties, where appropriate, to discourage fraudulent behaviour. The Department considers all cases on their own merits and decisions are made on the strength of the evidence provided.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
290465
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Fraud Universal credit
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk