A “REAL risk that many will . . . be pushed even deeper into poverty” was the priority expressed by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, about latest laws within the House of Lords last week.
Speaking in the talk on the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, Bishop Snow had sponsored an amendment on advantages which searched for “fairness within the face of the assorted reasons for an overpayment being made, including error by the department, and affordability, ensuring that those already in poverty will not be pushed further into it”. He cited research that indicated how advantages payments were already inadequate and that the system could take people further into debt.
Bishop Snow also spoke in regards to the problem of advantages overpayments and the plans of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP), through this latest laws, to get well them. “According to a DWP Freedom of Information Act response in 2023-24, nearly 900,000 latest overpayment debts were entered on DWP’s debt management system, nearly 80 per cent of which were recorded as brought on by official error.”
Through the amendment, he desired to “make sure that any repayment plans are fair, sustainable, and consistent with human dignity. This is for the nice of the individuals, but additionally of the Government.” He didn’t accept that it could weaken the fight against fraud.
In response, the Minister of State, Baroness Sherlock, said that the DWP’s “aim is to secure inexpensive and sustainable repayment plans and make sure that safeguards are in place to guard vulnerable debtors”. She couldn’t accept the amendment as tabled, but agreed that “deductions from profit shouldn’t cause unintended hardship and ought to be fair.” She said: “There are robust processes in place to support the vulnerable and people fighting debts.”
She told Bishop Snow that “the brand new recovery powers will not be geared toward those on advantages. That is a component of a broader debate . . . and I very much value his contribution to that.”
Lord Verdirame, who had brought the amendment (109), was content to see it fall and withdrew it. Other amendments were maintained or answered, and Lord Younger was especially concerned about government commitments to tackling “Sickfluencers”, who were, he said, “individuals who use . . . social-media platforms to publish detailed guides on how eligibility checks for welfare advantages could be manipulated or bypassed”.
The Minister, giving an in depth response, expressed confidence that the Government had “the suitable tools and networks in place beyond the laws”, including the Fraud Act, Serious Crime Act, and Online Safety Act.
The Bill, introduced into the House of Commons in January, is a component of the Government’s plan “to save lots of a complete of £8.6 billion over the following five years”. Its stated aim is “to safeguard public money by reducing public-sector fraud, error, and debt”. After its Third Reading within the Lords, it now returns to the Commons for a final stage, before Royal Assent.
