Contributions
948 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEmployers: Economic GrowthI absolutely agree with my hon. Friend that having more parents, including lone parents and second earners in couples, in better paid jobs is critical to tackling child poverty.…03 Feb 2025HANSARDEmployers: Economic GrowthTo get Britain growing again, we have to get Britain working again, and supporting employers is critical to achieving that goal. That is why last week I announced an overhaul of…03 Feb 2025HANSARDBenefit Fraud by Criminal GangsThe hon. Gentleman is right to raise this despicable case. The new powers in the Bill—the existing powers have not been updated for 14 years—will bring us into line with other…03 Feb 2025HANSARDBenefit Fraud by Criminal GangsI absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. We have a responsibility and a duty to use every possible measure to ensure that taxpayers’ money is wisely spent, on our schools,…03 Feb 2025HANSARDBenefit Fraud by Criminal GangsI would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my hon. Friend the Member for Swansea West (Torsten Bell), to his post as…03 Feb 2025HANSARDEmployers: Economic GrowthI say that in order to put the public finances on a secure footing, we had to take difficult decisions. I understand the pressures that businesses are under, but they know that if…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillThe hon. Gentleman has made his point simply and clearly. The Bill is about tackling fraud and people who have defrauded the public purse. I am sure his local newspaper will write…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillThe eligibility verification measure is for banks and financial institutions. It has been tightly defined, which is one of the reasons the Information Commissioner has written his…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillAs I said, the court will always look at whether the person needs a car for their job, but we cannot say that people are allowed to get away with fraud in different parts of the…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillI will; I did promise to do so.03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillNo, it will not be treated in the same way. There is much more we can do to use technology to prevent genuine mistakes and errors building up in the first place, but we also have…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillI reassure my hon. Friend that local authorities will be able to put examples to the Public Sector Fraud Authority for scrutiny. The new powers introduced by the Bill will enable…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillOne of the new measures introduced by the Bill, the eligibility verification measure, explicitly excludes the state pension. I reassure the hon. Lady on that point.03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillMy hon. Friend is right to raise this issue, which he knows the Chancellor and the Treasury team are looking at seriously. The clear message from this Government is, “If you are…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillI can indeed reassure the House. The Information Commissioner was rightly critical of the last measure introduced by the Conservatives—the third-party data measure. He has written…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillI will come on to that point in a moment, but I have the utmost respect for my hon. Friend. In fact, I think that the measures in the Bill will help us to spot such errors and…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillI will make a bit of progress. I want to start by setting out the measures in the Bill that give the Public Sector Fraud Authority the powers that it needs—further to the point…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillActually, the Bill will do the precise opposite. Through the measures relating to the Public Sector Fraud Authority, we are saying to the large companies and corporations and to…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillPeople who are genuinely entitled to claim benefits have nothing to worry about from this Bill, but we believe that the £7.4 billion wasted every year through benefit fraud must…03 Feb 2025HANSARD Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) BillI will set this out first. The Bill will provide the authority with new powers to obtain search warrants, to enter premises and seize evidence as part of fraud investigations, to…03 Feb 2025