Universal Credit: MPs Raise Fraud Concerns

The government must give a "swift assurance" that the introduction of Universal Credit will not cause a rise in benefit fraud, MPs have said.

The Communities and Local Government Committee called it "extremely concerning" that detection systems were "still at an early stage".  It also said councils could be left out of pocket by changes.  In its report the committee said the DWP "must provide swift assurance that the transition to Universal Credit will not leave the benefit system vulnerable to fraud".  Its chairman, Labour MP Clive Betts, said: "We heard evidence that ICT systems for fraud detection within Universal Credit were still at an early stage in their development. This is extremely concerning given the advanced state of implementation. The government must act to provide assurance that the benefit system will not be left vulnerable to fraud either during or after the transition. And it must do so urgently." Read more on the BBC website.