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Written question asked by Nia Griffith (Labour) on Monday, 22 April 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 26 April 2024 (named day). It was answered by Steve Baker (Conservative) on Friday, 26 April 2024 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.

Northern Ireland Office: Fraud

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he has taken to reduce the cost of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.

Answer

The Northern Ireland Office reported no cases of fraud or amounts lost due to fraud or error in any of the last three financial years. This is disclosed as part of the Annual Report and Accounts available on GOV.UK.

The Government is determined to uncover fraud in the public sector and is proud of its record. As part of this, the Government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA).

In 22/23, the PSFA set a target of delivering £180m of savings to the taxpayer. In fact, the PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million. As it enters its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer.

The Government has also announced an additional £34 million to deploy cutting-edge tools and Artificial Intelligence tools to help combat fraud across the public sector, saving £100 million for the public purse. This is in addition to existing partnerships between PSFA and the tech sector.

The Northern Ireland Office has also recently launched a counter Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy and Response Plan.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
22928
Session
2023-24
Subjects
Fraud Northern Ireland Office
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk