Profit Fraudsters owing over £1,000 in fraudulently claimed welfare may face two-year driving bans below new authorities plans.
Whereas extreme instances of profit fraud can already result in imprisonment, Work and Pensions Minister Alison McGovern has emphasised that this new strategy can be a further software to implement repayments.
At the moment, the Division for Work and Pensions (DWP) seeks to recuperate overpaid advantages by way of banks or the PAYE system. Nevertheless, the driving licence ban is meant to focus on people who nonetheless refuse to cooperate.
Profit Fraudsters Prices and New Investigative Powers
Newest figures present that welfare fraud accounted for £7.4 billion in overpayments final 12 months, representing 2.8% of complete welfare expenditure. As well as, £1.6 billion (0.6%) was misplaced as a consequence of claimant errors, and £800 million (0.3%) was overpaid as a consequence of DWP errors.
The federal government additionally plans to introduce new powers permitting investigators to entry checking account knowledge to extra successfully establish fraudulent claims. Ministers estimate this might save taxpayers £1.5 billion over 5 years. These measures echo related proposals launched by the earlier Conservative authorities.
To get a way of what driving professionals consider this resolution, the DIA determined to survey its members. Listed here are the outcomes:
Query 1: “Do you agree with the Authorities’s resolution to strip profit fraudsters of their driving licence for as much as 2 years?”
1 (Strongly Disagree) – 10 (Strongly Agree) = Common (4.3)
DIA Opinion: Simply over half of the respondents disagreed with the federal government’s resolution to strip profit fraudsters of their driving licence. This exhibits that driving professionals imagine isn’t the perfect resolution to stopping profit fraud and the plans might should be redrawn.
Query 2: “Do you assume this can work in deterring individuals from committing profit fraud?”
Sure: 3 (15.0%)
No: 17 (85.0%)
DIA Opinion: The disagreement expressed in Query 1 appears to have been repeated in Query 2. If the Authorities goes forward with these proposals, we predict it gained’t be very fashionable within the Driver Coach world.
Query 3: “When you have any ideas on the Authorities’s latest resolution, please enter them under:”
“Driving and profit fraud has no relation to one another it should encourage extra unlawful use of motor autos and will stop them getting work. For my part there are higher deterants than this.” – Unknown contact stated
“Yet one more silly concept by the idiots destroying this Nation. Many reside in villages with no public transport how will they even get a job if they will’t get wherever.”- Unknown contact stated
“Additional madness from this ineffective and treasonous authorities.
“Taking away licences is taking away capacity to journey to work, due to this fact is counterproductive in getting individuals off advantages and again to work!!
Utter stupidity from a authorities unfit to be in energy.” – Unknown contact stated
“Much less discuss extra motion, they should look extra intently on the motobility scammers as effectively” – Unknown contact stated
“Will encourage individuals to drive with out license and insurance coverage.” – Unknown contact stated
“As there isn’t a manner of imposing this what’s the level . Till Policing of roads is best and the implications are extreme they may simply drive illegally” – Unknown contact stated:
“Pointless. Would cease individuals from working in any respect” – Unknown contact stated
“Of they focused the billionaire fraudsters they might retrieve much more cash” – Unknown contact stated
If you need your say on this topic, please add your feedback within the part under. Not a DIA members, you’ll be able to join right here
