Hansard

Every penny of public money lost to fraud or error is a penny taken from the Scottish taxpayer and, in turn, from school, hospitals and other services that we rely on. The Government has a responsibility to ensure that every penny that is raised is used effectively. That is why the Scottish Conservatives support the legislative consent motion before Parliament today.

Fraud in the public sector undermines public trust. Such financial loss corrodes the public’s confidence in the payment system. It weakens the social contract when people pay their taxes but see the system failing. Fraudsters exploiting the system puts at risk the support for genuine, vulnerable individuals. That is why we welcome the action to modernise and strengthen the toolkit to fight fraud. The measures that are outlined in the bill will ensure that there will be a fair system, including for benefit recipients.

We recognise that a number of the clauses falls within the competence of this Parliament, particularly in relation to benefits that are delivered under the agency agreements.

We also support the provisions that are being supported by the Scottish Government and the DWP to ensure that the way in which benefits are administered on behalf of the Scottish ministers might also be a tool to tackle fraud, and we support looking at what is happening across the rest of the United Kingdom in that regard.

The eligibility verification measures will allow the Government to ask commonsense, practical questions and simplify the criteria. The powers that are outlined are significant. At the same time, what is proposed is not overburdensome, and the DWP will have access in order to provide support. We believe that a reasonable balance will be struck to ensure that relevant organisations are involved.

The provisions on recovery and asset seizure in the bill are also very positive. Law enforcement agencies must be able to recover fraudulently obtained funds and seize high-value items that are bought with stolen money. It is simply wrong that individuals who defraud are allowed to purchase, for example, luxury items, simply because they have spent the money quickly. If we are to deter such actions, there must be consequences. The measures give law enforcement agencies legal powers to ensure that they can take swift and effective action. To be clear, strong safeguards and independent oversight mechanisms accompany the introduction of those powers. That is fair and that is right for Scotland.

The provisions will ensure that the Scottish Government and the UK Government will retain powers. We hope that any issues can be resolved. We also look forward to the DWP working with Social Security Scotland, which will focus on any disruption that might take place.

The bill will support honest, hard-working individuals. It will also ensure that, when errors happen—many errors happen across the system—those are sorted. The Scottish Conservatives want to ensure that every penny supports front-line workers.

The bill strikes the right balance between fairness and firmness. It will ensure that the Parliament has the powers to deal with these matters. Let us send a clear message that we are on the side of the taxpayer by supporting the bill.