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government’s Controversial ‘Bank Espionage’ Bill A number of leading campaign groups and charities have warned that “unprecedented levels of population-wide mass surveillance” will be created, as they urge ministers to improve the plans.
Labour’s new Fraud, Error and Debt Bill is currently in the final stages of the House of Lords, and is set to become law later this year. It forms a central part of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) schemes To crack down on benefit fraud, the department was given new powers to demand information from claimants’ bank accounts and deduct funds directly from them.
An open letter to new Work and Pensions Minister Pat McFadden calls for significant changes to the bill, led by civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch.
It warns that these measures risk having “significant human impacts” that will be felt disproportionately by people with disabilities, older people, carers and the disproportionately affected. Those who are living in poverty.
Signatories including Age UK, Citizens Advice and Disability Rights UK wrote that there are “widespread concerns” about the algorithm Danger The detection software incorrectly identifies benefit claimants for investigation and subjects them to a lengthy and intrusive process.
Welfare rights groups have criticized these measures, arguing that they constitute unfair discrimination against welfare claimants.
Mickey Erhardt, head of policy at Disability Rights UK, said: “It is quite shocking that the Government is willing to give a department famous for its failure to protect disabled people like the DWP new powers to introduce ‘algorithms’ to trace large numbers of accounts at once.
“We, across society, are just beginning to understand the damage caused by handing over vital parts of the state to unproven, undemocratic technology. Yet the government seems content to repeat it with its Bill.”
Sue from Manchester told big brother watch About your experience clearing your name due to a false flag DWPIn which he was accused of having several undeclared bank accounts.
She said: “I had to get letters from each of these banks to clear my name because none of the banks responded to the DWP. The mental anguish this has caused me is unbearable and has almost caused me to be subjected to this.”
in combination with BillDebt recovery powers of, Law The letter said this could have “devastating consequences” as it was likely to result in funds being erroneously deducted from the claimant’s bank account.
The key power that will enable the DWP to request banks to share financial information with their agents is called the Eligibility Verification Measure (EVN). This means that when the department sends a notice to a bank or financial institution, it has to comply with the request. This will not include details of transactions, the DWP has confirmed.
The information that the institution may be asked to share includes information about the account holder, including their name and date of birth. Agents may also ask for the bank account sort code and account number, as well as details on how the account meets eligibility.
Ministers say the Government is introducing these powers to be able to determine whether a person is eligible for the benefit they are claiming or have applied for, based on their financial situation.
For example, having more than £16,000 in savings will generally make someone ineligible for Universal Credit, except in some limited circumstances.
These measures will be implemented in a phased manner over 12 months, initially with a small number of banks.
Baroness Mae Sherlock, minister of state for the DWP, said earlier this year that the department would make 5,000 to 20,000 direct reduction orders each year. Estimates are based on usage by HMRC and the Child Maintenance Service, both of whom may already be using electricity.
The open letter calls on Mr McFadden and Baroness Sherlock to support the amendments House of Lords Removing the EVN measure from the Bill, and preventing the DWP from forcing banks to disclose the bank details of benefit claimants.
Jasleen Chagger, legal and policy officer at Big Brother Watch, said: “Scanning the bank accounts of an entire population to help the DWP administer is a difficult task – and the hits will not be evenly distributed.
“Disabled people, carers, older people, single parents and those on low incomes are more likely to be wrongly flagged, dragged into intrusive investigations and forced through stressful, time-consuming appeals.
“It is not too late for the Government to abandon this heavy-handed approach and accept the truth: these powers will not stop serious fraudsters, but will risk re-creating scandal on a large scale for some of the most marginalized members of our society.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “All the powers in the Fraud, Error and Recovery Bill are based on the principle of fairness and proportionality, including a number of safeguards and independent oversight.
“In cases of fraud and error, a human being will always make any decisions that will affect benefit entitlements and the DWP will not have access to the bank accounts of benefit claimants.
“We have a duty to the taxpayer, and this Bill will save £1.5 billion over the next five years, which the OBR estimates will lead to savings of £9.6 billion by 2030 with comprehensive reforms.”