Overview

• The department announced three PIP measures: tougher checks when claimants change personal details, awareness sessions for case managers and health professionals, and strengthened identity verification.
• The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill would let DWP request bank-account data, oblige banks to flag suspicious activity, and recover funds directly from accounts, though it would not grant direct account access.
• Provisions would also cover Pension Credit claimants, allow search warrants to seize devices in organised-crime probes, and double the civil time limit for Covid fraud claims to 12 years.
• Lawmakers are due to scrutinize the bill at report stage on 15 October, with implementation targeted around April 2026 if enacted.
• Charity Turn2Us warns the approach risks deterring legitimate claims, noting fraud accounted for 2.8% of overpayment spend in 2023/24, while DWP cites safeguards and forecasts about £1.5bn in five-year savings alongside a rise in PIP fraud and error to £330m last year.