In response to a freedom of information request by Benefits and Work, the DWP have denied paying bonuses to fraud investigation staff. They have also denied setting targets for criminal prosecutions.
Last month we asked the DWP “whether bonuses are paid to DWP staff in relation to detecting fraud or recovering alleged overpayments from claimants.”
We have now received a response from the department stating that: “DWP does not operate any bonus or incentive schemes aimed specifically at staff who are involved in detecting and investigating benefit fraud and overpayment cases. There are also no targets for Investigators to achieve a prescribed number of criminal outcomes.”
However, the response does go on to add that:
“I can confirm that DWP operates an in-year reward and recognition scheme for all DWP teams and Individuals to be recognised for displaying exemplary behaviours or making a significant contribution to team performance. This applies to all colleagues across DWP.”
So, this response does appear to rule out the possibility that there is a formal system of bonuses for detecting fraud or recovering money.
But it does not rule out the possibility that teams or individuals can receive rewards for recovering large amounts of money for the DWP or prosecuting large numbers of claimants
