New DWP update on specific types of State Pension bank accounts that may flag for fraud or error

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has responded to an online petition calling for the UK Government not to use new proposed powers to access bank accounts of people receiving State Pension payments.

More than 12,600 people have signed the petition, however, the DWP’s written response clarifies the new measures and the types of State Pension bank accounts that may flag up for review due to potential fraud or error.

The DWP said that proposed amendments to the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill would not give the DWP powers to directly access bank accounts of people on the State Pension or benefits, but will instead give third parties - such as banks - new “data gathering power” which will “provide new routes to establish whether someone is entitled to benefit, making it harder for fraudsters to steal from the taxpayer”.

The DWP said: “This measure does not give DWP access to pensioners or any claimants’ bank accounts and will only flag information if it is relevant to someone’s eligibility for the benefits they are receiving.” The response also clarified two ‘misconceptions’ around the introduction of the measures.