New laws will give the DWP more powers to catch fraudsters faster and prevent customers from getting into debt sooner.

The DWP has been handed the powers to crackdown on fraud and benefit criminals.

The Government will bring forward a new Fraud, Error and Debt Bill in this parliamentary session to tackle fraud in the social security system

Banks will be forced to hand over details about DWP claimants going on holiday - like any abroad purchases or trips.

The powers - which give DWP staff the chance to comb bank accounts and launch checks - have been widely panned.

The limit was introduced by George Osborne and has pushed whole households into poverty, it has been warned.

DWP set to step up investigations in bid to combat benefit fraud

Updating its guidance, the DWP said it will look "at people as individuals" and explore how their condition impacts "daily lives and over a range of different activities."