The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for paying more than 20 million people across the UK, whether it be through benefits or a State Pension, to help with the additional costs of day-to-day living.
However, last week, the DWP shared details of a new £613 million plan to stop an estimated £4 billion being lost in fraud and error over the next five years, reports the Daily Record. The ‘Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System’ plan outlines how the DWP will create a new 2,000-strong team dedicated to reviewing more than two million existing Universal Credit claims.
This new team will review the entitlements and circumstances of Universal Credit claims that the DWP deems are at risk of being incorrect, including suspicious cases which entered the system during the height of the pandemic - this review is expected to stop around £2 billion of losses due to fraud and error over the next five years.
