The Public Sector Fraud Authority has been launched by the government
A new team at the heart of government has been told to hunt down fraud committed against the public purse, with a £180 million target set for the first 12 months.
Government Efficiency Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg issued the rallying cry today while launching the new Public Sector Fraud Authority – setting it a first-year target of £180 million of identified fraud benefits. The Domestic And Economic Efficiency And Value For Money Committee has challenged the new organisation to work with departments to agree longer-term targets by December.
The Public Sector Fraud Authority will be made up of counter fraud and data experts, using best-in-class tools and advanced analytics to help departments and public bodies protect public money. It will be supported by a cross sector Advisory Panel that will provide expert advice and help shape the strategic approach to public sector fraud prevention and reduction. The Advisory Panel will have a Chair, who will be announced in September.
Backed by £25 million of new funding, the organisation will modernise the government’s counter fraud response, working with departments and public bodies to test their fraud defences, using leading practice and modern techniques, and then to help them put stronger safeguards in place. It will do this by:
Minister for Government Efficiency, Jacob Rees-Mogg, said:
The Public Sector Fraud Authority will launch with a target of working with departments and public bodies to detect and prevent £180 million of fraud. This will be delivered in part by supporting BEIS and bank lenders with advanced data analytics expertise and tools to find fraud and recover fraud linked to the Bounce Back Loan scheme.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said:
Ahead of a permanently appointed head of the Authority, the organisation will be led by Mark Cheeseman OBE, an internationally recognised expert in public sector fraud, who led the creation of the government’s Counter Fraud Profession and the set up of the International Public Sector Fraud Forum - a collaboration between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the UK to share, agree and publish leading practice on fraud management in the public sector.
Interim Public Sector Fraud Authority CEO, Mark Cheeseman OBE said:
The launch builds on the recent success of the National Fraud Initiative (NFI), a service run by counter fraud experts in the Cabinet Office that uses technology and data matching to find and prevent fraud. Between 2020 and 2022, the service was used to detect and prevent more than £200m of public sector pension fraud.