The information was laid out in the DWP's new Fraud Plan
There has been consternation about benefit claimants undergoing "mass surveillance" by the Department for Work and Pensions for months, following the announcement of new powers to access bank account information. But, in a recently published plan to tackle fraud, the department has spelled out exactly who will access this information.
This change will stop the reliance on claimants accurately self-reporting financial information to their Work Coach. In their recently published Fraud Plan, the DWP explains: "This will require third parties to look within their own data and provide relevant information to DWP to help identify cases which merit further consideration to establish whether benefits are being, or have been, properly paid in accordance with the rules relating to those benefits.
The Fraud Plan was released alongside an announcement that the DWP was in the process of hiring a further 2,500 "external agents" to assist them with investigating potential fraud and error in the benefits system, which the department says could amount to as much as £8 billion a year. However, this does not mean that DWP agents will get to snoop on anyone's personal information, as the only information that will be shared is that which could indicate fraud. Only the banks will be able to look at your account, under the power granted by the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill currently going through Parliament.
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