DWP crackdown laid bare on UK drivers who refuse to pay back taxpayer cash
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As well as suspending driving licences, the government could take money straight from the bank accounts of benefits cheats. Anyone who repeatedly refuses to repay taxpayer’s money could soon have their driving licence suspended for two years. Benefit cheats could also have cash taken directly out of their bank accounts by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as part of the government’s crackdown on welfare fraud. that was announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer last year.
The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, will be introduced in Parliament on January 29. It aims to save taxpayers an estimated £1.5 billion over the next five years, according to DWP projections. Labour say the current level of fraud within the benefit system is costing the taxpayer almost £10billion a year and since the pandemic a total of £35billion of taxpayers’ money has been lost.
Once the measures have been made law, fraudsters who refuse to repay debts could be disqualified from driving for up to two years. Following an application from the DWP, courts may suspend licences of anyone owing more than £1,000 who hasn't paid back the money.
In another attempt to "turn off the tap" to fraudsters, the DWP will be given authority to demand bank statements from anyone who hasn’t returned money but who it believes has the power to do so. It won’t be able to directly access bank accounts though. Covid-era fraud will also be addressed in the bill with the Public Sector Fraud Authority being given more powers.
