Latest news with #Error
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
DWP errors pushed Universal Credit claimants into debt worth £494million
The total amount - which equates to around 0.3% of benefit spending - comes as the benefit department made 680,000 Universal Credit overpayments because of "official error" in 2023-24 Universal Credit claimants incurred more than £494million worth of debt in the last year due to mistakes made by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The total amount - which equates to around 0.3% of benefit spending - comes as the benefit department made 680,000 Universal Credit overpayments because of "official error" in 2023-24. Under the current rules, the benefits department recovers benefits overpayments by deducting an amount from a claimant's monthly benefit payment. The department usually sends notice of this, and a claimant can appeal. However, the deductions will start at their next payment regardless. On the government's website, official error is described as being caused "by an error or omission by an officer of the Department for Work and Pensions". For example, if the DWP officer working on your Universal Credit claim didn't correctly register your savings or income, you could be paid more than you are entitled to. If the error is noticed and corrected, the DWP will recover the entire amount which was overpaid to you. Depending on how long it takes to notice the error, Universal Credit claimants could rack up overpayment debt worth thousands. According to DWP data obtained by Good Law Project through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, the DWP waived overpayment debts only 75 times last year. This represents 0.01% of all overpayment cases, with a total of £865,000 having been waived. This represents just 0.02% of the total amount overpaid by the benefits department. However, the I paper report that the DWP have cast doubt on the data obtained through the FOI request, as it noted that its system for recording overpayments was 'not considered to be robust enough' to provide exact numbers on overpayments. The DWP did not confirm whether the actual number was higher or lower than the figure provided. On the data, a spokesperson for the DWP told the publication that the department will be introducing new measures to reduce overpayments. This is included in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error, and Recovery) Bill which was introduced into the Commons in January. The added: "To further protect people, we have additional safeguards in place before any recovery action takes place". Niamh Grahame, a solicitor at Public Law Project, has voiced concern over the DWP's plans for overpayment debts and says they carried a "particular risk of harm and injustice'. One example she noted was the department's 'eligibility verification measure.' The measure does not give the DWP access to claimant's bank accounts, instead it requires banks to share data on claimants who may be receiving incorrect payments. Niamh said the bill offered ministers 'a golden opportunity to prevent hundreds of thousands of people from being pushed into unfair debt by the DWP's own error'. Alongside 30 other leading charities, The Public Law Project has written to Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall calling for an end to this issue. The letter urged the DWP to change its approach to Universal Credit overpayments and instead align more with that of Housing Benefit. With this, overpayments are not recovered when the claimant could not reasonably have expected to have known they had been overpaid. Niamh added: "This would mean they could only be recovered where the claimant could reasonably have been expected to realise that they had been overpaid." Luke Young, head of policy at Citizens Advice, commented: 'Too many people on universal credit are being penalised for government mistakes. Deductions are leaving people with less income than they need to make ends meet and pushing them into debt. The benefits system should be there to support people, not force them into hardship.' Luke added that writing off overpayment debts which were down to official error "would be a good place to start" in any plans for Universal Credit reform.
Wales Online
13-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
DWP steps to prevent people fraudulently claiming PIP payments
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The Department for Work and Pensions has reaffirmed its vow to combat benefit fraud and error, including reclaiming debts from Personal Independent Payments. This statement was made in response to an inquiry by Conservative MP Sir John Hayes, who questioned what actions the DWP is taking to address individuals submitting fraudulent PIP claims. In a written response, DWP Minister Andrew Western detailed new initiatives being put in place to prevent fraudulent activity from entering the system based on observed patterns and case types. Read more: Nationwide warns over major shake-up Some of these steps include implementing more stringent checks when claimants modify personal details, such as bank accounts, as reported by the Daily Record. Western stated, "DWP is dedicated to tackling fraud and error within the benefits system and to recovering debts, including those from Personal Independent Payments. Working closely with counter-fraud specialists, DWP has introduced measures to prevent fraudulent activity based on observed cases and trends.", reports the Express. DWP introduces new measures to combat benefit fraud. The Minister further noted, "DWP is making progress in key counter-fraud activities, including investing in counter-fraud professionals and enhancing data analytical capabilities. The new Fraud, Error, and Debt Bill will introduce additional measures to tackle systemic fraud. "Details of the legislative measures will be presented to Parliament in due course." Minister Western outlined new measures being taken to "prevent fraud entering the system based on the types of cases and trends we have seen". These measures include "introducing more rigorous checks for customers changing personal details, including bank accounts", reports the Daily Record. Mr Western stated: "DWP is committed to tackling fraud and error in the benefits system and to the recovery of debts, including those generated by Personal Independent Payments. Working closely with counter fraud experts, the DWP has introduced measures to prevent fraud entering the system based on the types of cases and trends we have seen." New DWP measures to tackle benefit fraud. The Minister added: "DWP is delivering against key counter fraud activity, including investing in counter fraud professionals and building data analytical capabilities. The new Fraud, Error and Debt Bill will bring forward new measures to tackle fraud in the system. "Details on the measures the Government will be legislating will be presented to Parliament in due course." The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) delivers benefits to over 23 million individuals across Great Britain, including 3.6 million on Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The latest DWP report discloses that £90 million was lost to fraud and error in the PIP system in 2023/24. Fraud and error within the welfare system currently burden taxpayers with nearly £10 billion each year. Since the onset of the pandemic, a staggering total of £35 billion has been erroneously paid to those not entitled to it. It's important to clarify that this figure also encompasses criminal gangs, not solely benefit claimants. The forthcoming DWP fraud and error report is due to be released later this month. As per guidance on fraud pertains to claims where all three of the following conditions are satisfied:. Claimant error refers to overpayments where claimants have supplied inaccurate or incomplete information, or neglected to report a change in their circumstances resulting in an overpayment, but there is no evidence of fraudulent intent on the claimant's part. Official error transpires when benefits have been wrongly paid due to a failure to act, a delay, or an incorrect assessment by the Department, a local authority, or His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, to which no one outside of that department has significantly contributed, irrespective of whether the business unit has processed the information. Last year, Mr Western clarified the scope of the soon-to-be-unveiled Fraud, Error and Debt Bill by emphasising: "will not give DWP access to any bank accounts, nor any information on how claimants spend their money" further explaining that "limited information" will be made available to banks for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to bolster benefits eligibility checks and spotlight potential rule breaches. The Minister for the DWP was adamant: "As set out by the National Audit Office, access to data is key to prevention and detection of incorrect payments. The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) in the proposed Fraud, Error and Debt Bill will not give DWP access to any bank accounts, nor any information on how claimants spend their money." Stressing what the bill seeks to accomplish, he elaborated: "It will require banks and financial institutions to share limited information with the DWP to help verify benefit eligibility by flagging possible conflicts with eligibility rules - for example the £16,000 capital limit in Universal Credit. The information gathered will help DWP identify incorrect payments, prevent debts from accruing for the claimant and help identify where there may be fraudulent activity." To highlight the protective elements, he declared: "The legislation will set out key safeguards, including reporting mechanisms and independent oversight. No benefit entitlement decision will be made solely because of the data obtained under EVM and a final decision on benefit entitlement will always involve a human agent. "If a claimant wishes to challenge or appeal a benefit decision, they can do so following DWP's appeals processes."
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
DWP confirms exact scope of new bank 'monitoring' powers to tackle fraud and overpayments
New souped-up powers from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), which will allow DWP to recover money directly from the bank accounts of fraudsters who can repay but are wilfully gaming the system in order not to, passed an important stage in the House of Commons this week. The Third Reading of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error, and Recovery) Bill, which could put these measures into law, will help DWP to catch fraudsters , prevent overpayments and protect taxpayer's money. The Bill will also give powers to the DWP to get data from banks and other financial institutions to help verify the eligibility of those who receive certain benefits to make sure they are getting the correct payments - this will help to stop people falling further into debt because of incorrect payments and help the DWP spot fraudulent claims. DWP confirmed that no personal information will be shared by the Department to support financial institutions in the identification of these accounts, and DWP will not have access to people's bank accounts in verifying eligibility and will not be able to see where people are spending their money. The Bill will save the taxpayer £1.5 billion over the next five years and is part of wider plans set out in the Autumn budget and Spring Statement to save £9.6 billion by 2030. This means taxpayer's money can be invested in public services as part of the government's Plan for Change. Protections are central to the Bill, making sure there is proportionate and effective use of the powers, and that DWP is protecting vulnerable customers. DWP example: Minister for Transformation Andrew Western, said: 'Enhancing our powers is essential to fulfilling our commitment to the public, as they will enable us to address the unacceptable levels of fraud and error we've inherited and better protect public funds. 'By strengthening our ability to catch criminals and prevent overpayments, we can keep up with the evolving nature of welfare fraud while reducing the risk of people falling further into debt, ensuring that more resources are directed towards improving the lives of people across the country.' The new legislation comes as the UK Government is dealing with the broken welfare system it inherited, with out-of-control levels of fraud and error costing the taxpayer around £10 billion a year - with a total of £35 billion of taxpayers' money incorrectly paid to those not entitled to the money since the pandemic. On top of the Bill measures, the Chancellor announced in the Spring Statement a further commitment to recruit over 500 additional DWP fraud and error staff who will make better use of government data to correct errors in benefit claims, as well as increasing checks on potential Universal Credit claimants by introducing more ways to verify the amount of savings they hold, as well as their earnings and expenses. The Cabinet Office's Public Sector Fraud Authority will also be given more powers under the legislation, allowing the department's investigators to detect and recover fraud in other departments and bodies across the public sector. Minister in the Cabinet Office, Georgia Gould said: 'This Bill will save taxpayers' money. People are currently getting away with stealing vast sums of cash because our investigators don't have the powers they need to detect and recover fraud across the public sector. 'We're giving our investigators new powers to tackle fraud wherever they find it - as well as doubling the time available to bring pandemic fraudsters to justice.' The Bill measures will now progress to the House of Lords to be debated further.
New York Times
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Late Night Is Expecting Tariffs With a Side of Drama
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night's highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now. 'Pack Your Lederhosen' President Trump plans to announce yet more tariffs in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday (he's calling it 'Liberation Day'). 'Like everything, he's got to make it a spectacle,' Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday. The Punchiest Punchlines (Administrative Error Edition) The Bits Worth Watching Paul Rudd joined Seth Meyers for a little day drinking on Tuesday's 'Late Night.' What We're Excited About on Wednesday Night The filmmaker John Waters and the comedian Wanda Sykes will appear on 'Everybody's Live with John Mulaney.' Also, Check This Out Andrew Scott plays all the characters in 'Vanya,' an adaptation of Chekhov's melancholy comedy 'Uncle Vanya.'
Egypt Independent
03-03-2025
- Business
- Egypt Independent
Facebook enables gender discrimination in job ads, European human rights body rules
Editor's Note: This story is part of 'Systems Error', a series by CNN's As Equals, investigating how your gender shapes your life online. For information about how CNN As Equals is funded and more, check out our FAQs. A European human rights body has ruled that Facebook's algorithm shows gender bias when promoting job advertisements, marking what activists say is a crucial step in holding big tech companies accountable for the design of their platforms. The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights said in a February 18 decision that Facebook's algorithm reinforced gender stereotypes by mainly showing 'typically female professions' to female Facebook users in the Netherlands and that Meta (META), the social platform's owner, should have monitored and adjusted its algorithm to prevent that. The Institute's decision follows CNN As Equals reporting revealing that Facebook users in Europe were missing out on job opportunities due to gender bias. The 2023 article was based on findings shared with CNN by international non-profit Global Witness, which investigated Facebook's job ads and found that ads in the Netherlands and five other countries often targeted users based on historical gender stereotypes. For example, ads for mechanic positions were predominantly shown to men, while those for preschool teacher roles were primarily directed to women. Global Witness said its experiments in the Netherlands, France, India, Ireland, the United Kingdom and South Africa demonstrated that the algorithm perpetuated similar biases around the world. The non-profit's investigation led to four complaints from the Dutch human rights group Bureau Clara Wichmann and the French organization Fondation des Femmes. The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights said in its February ruling that Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd., which manages Facebook ads in Europe, failed to demonstrate that its advertising algorithm does not engage in prohibited gender discrimination. The Dutch body said Facebook must revise its advertising algorithm to prevent further discrimination. The European Union has several directives that prohibit discrimination based on gender, including in online advertising. The Institute's ruling added that 'Meta Ireland has acknowledged that the gender data point can be part of the algorithm. Meta Ireland has not refuted that this data point can promote stereotyping via the algorithm.' A Meta spokesperson told CNN that it would not be commenting on the matter. Meta spokesperson Ashley Settle previously told CNN that the company applies 'targeting restrictions to advertisers when setting up campaigns for employment, as well as housing and credit ads.' Those audience targeting restrictions are in place in the United States, Canada and more than 40 European countries and territories, including France and the Netherlands, according to Meta. 'We do not allow advertisers to target these ads based on gender,' Settle said in a 2023 statement. 'We continue to work with stakeholders and experts across academia, human rights groups and other disciplines on the best ways to study and address algorithmic fairness.' Meta did not respond to questions from CNN at the time about how the algorithm that runs its ad system is trained. In a 2020 blog post about its ad delivery system, Facebook said ads are shown to users based on a variety of factors, including 'behavior on and off' the platform. Berty Bannor of Bureau Clara Wichmann celebrated the Dutch institute's decision, telling CNN that the ruling was significant. 'Today is a great day for Dutch Facebook users, who have an accessible mechanism to hold multinational tech companies such as Meta accountable and ensure the rights they enjoy offline are upheld in the digital space,' Bannor said. 'I see this as a first step in showing that anti-discrimination laws apply just as much to big tech companies as they do to the offline world,' she added. Rosie Sharpe, Senior Campaigner on Digital Threats at Global Witness, said the ruling 'marks an important step towards holding Big Tech accountable for how they design their services and the discriminatory impact their algorithms can have on people.' 'We hope this ruling can be used as a springboard for further action, in Europe and beyond,' she added. While the decision by the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights is not legally binding, experts say that, if the case is further escalated, a court will be required to consider the Institute's findings. Dutch lawyer Anton Ekker, who specializes in artificial intelligence and digital rights, told CNN that the Institute's ruling could lead to fines by the Dutch data protection regulator or orders to modify specific algorithms, specifically those that reinforce inequalities and disproportionately harm marginalized groups based on gender, race, ethnicity or religion. If Meta does not take action on the job ads algorithm, NGOs might choose to pursue further legal action to stop the discriminatory use of its algorithms, he said. The Dutch ruling comes as protection of digital rights has been severely undermined, particularly for women and marginalized groups, Bannor said. Last month, Meta said it would end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, change its policies on hateful conduct on its platforms and drop its third-party fact-checking programs in the US. Users are now allowed to, for example, refer to 'women as household objects or property' or 'transgender or non-binary people as 'it,'' according to a section of the policy prohibiting such speech that was removed. A new section of the policy notes Meta will allow 'allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality.' Previously, such comments would have been subject to removal by Meta's moderators. Meta has faced various allegations of discrimination over the past decade, including lawsuits in the US regarding housing, employment and credit ads. As a result, the company has modified its algorithm for these ads in the US. Sharpe at Global Witness told CNN that it's 'outrageous' the same changes were not applied globally, arguing that algorithms and AI are increasingly impacting everyday life and posing significant risks to social justice. CNN's Kara Fox contributed reporting.
