75th Report - Government use of data analytics on error and fraud

Select Committee

Public Accounts Committee HC 891 27 March 2026

Report Status Response overdue

Conclusions & Recommendations 22 items (6 recs)

Source View on Parliament website

Government Response (AI assessment · 6 of 22 classified)

Accepted 4

Accepted in Part 1

Rejected 1

Recommendations

4 results

2 Accepted

Government’s digital and counter-fraud experts know what government needs to do to make fraud and...

Recommendation

Government’s digital and counter-fraud experts know what government needs to do to make fraud and error savings through data analytics, but do not have a robust plan to support public bodies to do so. There are several barriers preventing the … Read more

Government Response Summary

GDS, PSFA and GFF will establish a co-led counter fraud data analytics action forum to agree, publish and deliver, an overarching plan that more effectively utilises data analytics to tackle fraud and error.

HM Treasury

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4 Accepted

Government is not doing enough to promote the effective sharing of data, which is stopping...

Recommendation

Government is not doing enough to promote the effective sharing of data, which is stopping departments from maximising the savings they could make from data analytics. Government bodies have legal frameworks through which to share data, such as those established … Read more Government is not doing enough to promote the effective sharing of data, which is stopping departments from maximising the savings they could make from data analytics. Government bodies have legal frameworks through which to share data, such as those established by the Digital Economy Act 2017, but find it time-consuming and difficult to do in practice. The PSFA told us it is taking steps to make this process simpler and quicker. The PSFA also told us it is building a library of counter- fraud controls to encourage and enable better data sharing and to make it easier for government bodies to know what datasets and tools are already available. GDS said it was building a single data platform for use across government that will enable government bodies to find and use data assets. But government does not make full use of the other data- sharing tools available to it. For example, the National Fraud Initiative tool (NFI), which local authorities must use and through which they save millions of pounds by matching their own data with that of other local authorities, is not mandatory for central government. This means the NFI does not benefit from much of central governments data to help flag more potential fraud, and that central government itself does not realise some of the potential savings. recommendation a. The Public Sector Fraud Authority should write to the Committee within 6 months to explain its progress in developing a library of counter-fraud controls. It should also set out its steps to identify and address issues with data sharing through the Digital Economy Act, to make this process simpler and quicker. This communication should include an evaluation of how its work has enabled greater sharing of data and greater use of data analytics. 5 b. In the Treasury Minute response to this report the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology should set out further information on the single data platform. This should include the timetable for completion and be Show less

Government Response Summary

The government will provide a progress update to the Committee in six months’ time, and will also include the ongoing actions to improve the process of data sharing through the powers enabled by the Digital Economy Act (DEA).

HM Treasury

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5 Accepted

Departments are not doing enough to be transparent or build public trust on the use...

Recommendation

Departments are not doing enough to be transparent or build public trust on the use of data analytics to tackle fraud. In tackling fraud, government must balance maintaining public trust by being transparent about what it is doing, with not … Read more

Government Response Summary

DSIT is continuing to implement the mandatory rollout of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS) in central government, with over 130 records published on GOV.UK to date.

HM Treasury

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6 Accepted

Current legislation limits government’s ability to deploy data analytics to tackle fraud and error.

Recommendation

Current legislation limits government’s ability to deploy data analytics to tackle fraud and error. Some existing legislation, such as the Digital Economy Act, support the use of data analytics to fight fraud and error by enabling data sharing across departments. … Read more

Government Response Summary

The PSFA and DSIT will review legislation and the regulatory regime impacting their ability to implement fraud and error data analytics and communicate its assessment to the Committee.

HM Treasury

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