"The DWP is considering bringing in new policies that would allow the DWP to see what benefits claimants are spending their money on. Their justification is to clamp down on overpayments and fraud, but fraud is involved in less than 1 percent of PIP (Personal Independence Payment) claims, and 3.1 percent across all benefits. Overpayments could be prevented by other measures.
I believe that what we spend our money on is a private matter and we shouldn’t have to justify ourselves to anyone. Disabled people claiming PIP and other disability-related benefits buy the things they need to make life more tolerable and to help them to overcome barriers and difficulties, like mobility aids and care. These things could be classed as “luxury” purchases by others, but they are necessary for disabled people.
If I give a beggar a tenner and he spends it on XXXX or a wrap of cocaine that’s no business of mine, in just the same spirit. The petition site is vague about how DWP will acquire this power. I know they can now use all sorts of steps to investigate specific cases of suspected fraud under the Investigatory Powers Act. Banks are asked to red flag things like money leaving the country.
I would imagine it’s not that difficult now to see who the payees are. This is why companies selling certain products that they didn’t oughta will use an intermediary. So DWP could easily distinguish say, Esso, Tesco, Iceland or Giropay, but not basic food from chocolates or petrol from cannabis seeds.
That’s not an argument in favour of their having this snooping power, which could easily be the thin end of the wedge used to push through CBDC. If a pilot programme with some folk devils can be pushed through, and pronounced a success, that will ‘encourage the others’.
As you may have read G the govt have floated the idea of making incapacity benefits even harder to claim. That will be enacted sooner or later, as it always is.