To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether there were any changes in policy on dealing with benefit fraud between 2009 and 2012; and if he will set out details of any such changes.

The Department introduced the ‘one-strike’ penalty for conviction, penalty or caution for benefit offences under The Welfare Reform Act 2009 which came into effect from 1 April 2010.

In October 2010 we outlined our plans for reducing fraud and error overpayments in the welfare system by £1.4 billion by March 2015 through our fraud and error strategy “Tackling fraud and error in the benefit and tax credits systems”. The strategy was refreshed in a joint report with HMRC and the Cabinet Office in February 2012.

These plans include delivering an integrated risk and intelligence service, a hub for collecting and analysing claimant information and applying fraud and error prevention filters. The Department is also developing the Single Fraud Investigation Service with HMRC and local authorities, joining expertise and efforts in investigating fraud. We have also worked with partners on the mobile regional taskforce pilots focusing on intelligence led campaigns in high fraud risk areas.

The Welfare Reform Act 2012 provides the Department with tougher powers to punish and deter welfare cheats. A tougher minimum administrative penalty was introduced in May 2012 and from 1 October a new civil penalty came into force for claimant error. The Act will also introduce more stringent mechanisms for rapidly and effectively recovering debts. The Department and HMRC have increased the maximum rate at which fraud debts can be recovered by deduction from benefits by around 25%. This new recovery rate for fraud debts was introduced in April 2012.

With the introduction of universal credit in 2013, the benefits system will also be made simpler and, as far as possible, the opportunities for fraud and error to enter our systems will be greatly reduced.