Page 18 - Stephen Timms News Today

Proposed legislative update could potentially enable department to obtain data on millions of citizens’ accounts, while government projects that expanded powers will see annual benefit fraud prosecutions increase about twentyfold Laws allowing the Department for Work and Pensions to monitor m

The prime minister suggests migrant families already in the UK may get exemptions from higher wage rules.

A committee chair expressed surprise at powers he said would allow Government to look into the accounts of state pensioners.

Mel Stride told MPs it was not inconceivable that new wide-ranging powers might be used to check on payments of the old-age benefit in the future.

Jean Richards, 81, has lived in Newham, east London, most of her life and worked for the local borough for 40 years. When she fell ill she started visiting Bonny Downs Food Club in East Ham, which

People receiving state pensions, child benefits, universal credit and social security benefits may face surveillance of their finances.

Thousands of people marched or rallied across Britain on Saturday against the Israeli assault on Gaza and in solidarity with the Palestinians. 

A new bill that will grant the government powers to order banks to monitor benefit claimant's accounts for fraud cleared another hurdle in Parliament yesterday after MPs passed the bill.

Ministers have faced questions about whether new data powers could be used to snoop into the bank accounts of state pensioners.

Culture minister Sir John Whittingdale said the powers would be “focused” on benefit claimants, but MPs were not convinced.