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Department for Work and Pensions: Fraud and Maladministration

Asked by Helen WhatelyConservativeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 6 January 2025UIN 20686

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16391 on Department for Work and Pensions: Fraud and Maladministration, what progress she has made on the (a) recruitment and (b) training of additional staff in fraud and error.

Answered by Andrew Western

Funding for 3,000 new roles within the department’s Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt (CFCD) division, allocated in the Government’s Spending Review, will take effect from April 2025. CFCD has also secured an uplift in staffing costs for Q4 of the financial year and will recruit an additional 300 FTE to build momentum heading into Q1. This is in addition to CFCD reaching its upper headcount limit of 9,923 Full Time Equivalent for 2024/25. Training resources and learning journeys for all new starters are robust and clearly defined. Most of our new starters will also align and be assured against Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP) cross-gov counter-fraud standards.

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