Alarms Over Mass Monitoring of Benefit Claimants

There are concerns that a new government bill designed to tackle benefit fraud could subject millions of claimants to routine bank surveillance, even when there’s no suspicion of wrongdoing.

What Is the Fraud Bill?

Earlier this month, MPs passed the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, a piece of legislation aimed at cracking down on fraud within the UK’s benefits system. Ministers say the bill is part of “the biggest crackdown on fraud against the public purse in a generation,” with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) set to receive significantly expanded powers.