Contributions
752 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (First sitting)Is that your view as well, Alex? Alex Rothwell: I would echo Kristin’s thoughts. I suppose there is not necessarily anything novel in the Bill. Those powers exist elsewhere, so we…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (First sitting)Q A theme seems to be emerging from this morning’s witnesses that it is difficult to know whether the extensive powers in the Bill are proportionate without knowing how they will…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (First sitting)Perhaps a draft code before Parliament makes definitive decisions on the legislation. Kristin Jones: Yes, or commitments to safeguards that will be in the code of practice.25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (First sitting)Q Do you think that the measures in the Bill and the powers to update them are sufficiently flexible to respond to the changing nature of fraud that you have seen through your…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (First sitting)Q Alex, perhaps you could broaden out this discussion by explaining the specific challenges that the NHS faces in identifying and investigating fraud and recovering sums of money.…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (First sitting)Q Do either of you think that anything is missing from the Bill that would help in the fight against fraud and would be appropriate in legislation like this? Kristin Jones: My…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q At the heart of this Bill is the establishment of the PSFA as a separate body outside the Cabinet Office. What do you see as the practical benefits that that move will bring?…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q How would you see that independence interacting with the decision-making processes in the Bill, which largely rely on ministerial or departmental decisions in terms of the…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q This is very much a Bill of two halves, and many of the powers that will be given to the PSFA are equivalent to those that are being given to DWP investigators. The obvious…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q For a lot of the provisions in the Bill, those in receipt of orders potentially have a very short timeframe to comply with the demands. John Smart: Yes.25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q What consultation has there been with industry to make sure that the eligibility verification measures are workable and that your members will know what is required of them?…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Based on your experience with the PSFA so far, is that consistent with the length of time that, in most cases, it takes such organisations to reply to requests for information?…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q The provisions of the Bill are not confined to financial institutions, are they? John Smart: They are not, no. I do not know which institutions are likely to be required to…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q The legislation sets out a specific period of time for a lot of those powers, so would it be logical to assume that for some smaller businesses, it may take longer to comply…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q Obviously, you have not been involved in such direct investigations, but just to give us some idea of the quantum we are talking about, what period of time do you think would…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q Do you have any idea what the additional man hours or potential cost burden could be for a typical bank in a typical year? Daniel Cichocki: It is quite difficult at this stage…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q Do banks have any sense of how many information notices and other applications they are likely to receive? Are there any expectations regarding the scale of the undertaking?…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q Presumably you agree with the previous witness that, in general, banks are reasonably well adapted to responding to such notices. Do you think that 10 days is reasonable for…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q Is there any measure of how long it currently takes banks to respond to information requests from Government, such as those from HMRC, under existing powers? Daniel Cichocki: A…25 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Second sitting)Q Are there any other areas where you think the Bill could approach things differently? Is anything missing that you think should be in the Bill? Daniel Cichocki: Given that the…25 Feb 2025