The DWP are mass hiring 'external agents' to investigate benefit claimants
The Department for Work and Pensions crackdown on benefit claimants was taken into a higher gear today , as bosses announced the mass hiring of "external agents" to investigate people who receive Universal Credit, alongside further powers to arrest and conduct searches.
This increase in the workforce represents a 70 per cent rise in staffing levels to help with the DWP's current Targeted Case Review, which the department says is to "help spot incorrectness in Universal Credit claims." Last year alone, the DWP says it saved £1.3bn through investigating fraud and error in the benefits system.
According to charity Disability Rights, regarding the sharp rise in Personal Independence Payment claims which sparked the government crackdown on benefits, fraud represents just 0.2 per cent of all claims. The charity has previously compared the DWP's new powers to tackle fraud with using "a sledgehammer to crack the tiniest nut."
Benefits Your Money Money Mel Stride
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