Fraud and Error

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 23 Mar 2021 Closed: 16 Nov 2021 Parliament page
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government Counter Fraud Function estimated that the level of fraud and error against government was already between £29.3 billion and £51.8 billion annually. The National Audit Office’s work over the past year has shown that the risk of fraud and error has risen significantly during … Read more
16 Recommendations
15 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
6 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 9 events
14 Dec
2021
Correspondence
14 Dec
2021
Correspondence
28 Oct
2021
Report published
25 Oct
2021
Correspondence
30 Jun
2021
Report published
25 May
2021
Correspondence
25 May
2021
Correspondence
18 May
2021
Correspondence
29 Apr
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
29 Apr 2021
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Fraud and Error
Cat Little · Cabinet Office Jim Harra · HMRC Mark Cheeseman · Cabinet Office Peter Schofield · Department for Work and Pensions Sarah Munby · Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Ninth Report - Fraud and Error HC 253 30 Jun 2021 31 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
Clear
2 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Ninth Report - Fraud and Error
Government’s focus on the long-standing fraud and error risks it understands, risks large amounts of...
Government’s focus on the long-standing fraud and error risks it understands, risks large amounts of fraud and error being unidentified or untackled elsewhere. Efforts to tackle fraud and error in the tax and benefits system come under regular scrutiny. While … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to identify and update fraud and error risks across government annually, setting an implementation date of February 2022. However, it rejects publishing individual fraud and error risks at a detailed level due to concerns about increasing overall fraud risk, instead committing to provide internal government access to the Global Fraud Risk Assessment and increase transparency on the use of Fraud Risk Assessments.
HM Treasury
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10 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Ninth Report - Fraud and Error
We asked Cabinet Office about fraud and error risks outside the tax and benefits system.
We asked Cabinet Office about fraud and error risks outside the tax and benefits system. Cabinet Office told us that the diversity of risks is “very, very large”, because government spends £850 billion and collects around £800 billion in income. … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to build on the Global Fraud Risk Assessment (GFRA) and update it annually, but will not publish fraud risks at the requested level of detail, instead providing internal government access.
HM Treasury
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11 Recommendation Accepted in Part
Ninth Report - Fraud and Error
The Counter Fraud Function undertook a Global Fraud Risk Assessment across 206 COVID-19 response schemes,...
The Counter Fraud Function undertook a Global Fraud Risk Assessment across 206 COVID-19 response schemes, with an estimated total value of £387 billion. It risk-assessed 16 of these schemes as having a high or very high fraud risk, representing 57% … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to build on and annually update the Global Fraud Risk Assessment (GFRA) with a target implementation date of February 2022, and will provide access to it across government, but rejects publishing fraud risks at a detailed level due to concerns about increasing overall risk.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 31 of 16 classified
Accepted 20
Accepted in Part 3
Acknowledged 1
Deferred 1
Not Addressed 4
Rejected 2
Total 16 recs + 15 conclusions
Correspondence 6 letters
14 Dec 2021 Correspondence from Mark Cheeseman, Director of the Government Counter Fraud Function, Cabinet Office, re PAC Fraud and Error, dated 3 December 2021
Parliament page
14 Dec 2021 Correspondence from Sarah Munby, Permanent Secretary, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, re Covid Support Schemes – PAC Fraud and Error Report Recommendations, dated 7 December 2021
Parliament page
25 Oct 2021 Correspondence from Jim Harra, Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary, re HMRC Error and Fraud – PAC Error and Fraud Report Recommendation 3c, dated 24 September 2021
Parliament page
25 May 2021 Correspondence from Mark Cheeseman, Director of the Government Counter Fraud Function, Cabinet Office, re Follow up on Fraud and Error, dated 17 May 2021
Parliament page
25 May 2021 Correspondence from George Turner, Director, TaxWatch, re Response to Fraud and Error session on Thursday 29 April 2021, dated 18 May 2021
Parliament page
18 May 2021 Correspondence from Jim Harra, Chief Executive and First Permanent Secretary, re HMRC questions, dated 7 May 2021
Parliament page