DWP introduce 'seize and search' powers for people on four benefits first

The DWP will rollout bank account checks amid fears Universal Credit will be the "main focus" of the searches.

The Department for Work and Pensions will introduce seize and search powers under the new Labour Party government. The DWP will rollout bank account checks amid fears Universal Credit will be the "main focus" of the searches.

Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit could also be hit, alongside Jobseekers'. The new rules hand DWP staff the ability to 'better investigate suspected fraud', including 'new powers of search and seizure'.

It comes after five members of a gang that falsely claimed more than £50 million in universal credit in the largest benefit fraud in England and Wales were jailed back in April. Bundles of cash stuffed in shopping bags and suitcases, a luxury car and designer goods including watches, jackets, and glasses were found during a raid on their properties, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

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Fran Heathcote, General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union is among them, warned "Our members working in the DWP and in jobcentres want more powers to support people into work – to help people, not trip them up. The UK has some of the lowest levels of benefits in Europe.

"Those that do overclaim often do so in error, struggling to navigate a complex system, or because they can’t make ends meet on our poverty-level benefits. The government should focus on making our social security system less punitive and more supportive."

"Fraud and error in the social security system currently costs the taxpayer almost £10 billion a year and since the pandemic a total of £35 billion of taxpayers’ money has been taken away from those who need it most," the DWP explains.

"The nature of fraud has also become more sophisticated, meaning without new legal powers, DWP cannot properly keep pace with the changing nature of fraud to tackle it robustly enough." It says: "Staff will be trained to the highest standards on the appropriate use of any new powers, and we will introduce new oversight and reporting mechanisms, to monitor these new powers. DWP will not have access to people’s bank accounts and will not share their personal information with third parties."