Overview
- The DWP explained that the Eligibility Verification Bill would let it require banks to scan accounts receiving certain benefits against defined eligibility indicators and report when they match.
- The first phase covers Pension Credit, Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance, while the state pension is excluded.
- Banks would share only limited fields such as sort code, account number, account-holder names, dates of birth and whether an account meets the indicators.
- The department says it will lead any follow-up investigations and that a human will review any decision that could change or stop payments.
- Any expansion to other benefits would need Parliament’s approval, as the government frames the plan as a fraud-and-error crackdown and privacy groups warn about access to bank data.