Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 12
Sixty-Ninth Report - Tackling fraud and corruption against government
Published 8 Sep 2023
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Tackling fraud and corruption against government All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
In 2018, Cabinet Office established the GCFF, which in turn launched a set of Counter Fraud Functional Standards to set out minimum expectations for how government organisations should manage their fraud and corruption risks. In October 2018, government also launched the GCFP to support the development of capability for counter- fraud professionals across government. The GCFP grants membership to the profession based on the evaluation of knowledge and skills codified by the GCFP standards.36 We asked PSFA about the impact of introducing government counter-fraud functional and professional standards. PSFA told us that the functional standards have provided the public with transparency on the basics of what they can expect public bodies to do to 28 Qq 23, 79 29 Qq 18–19; C&AG’s Report, para 1.20 30 Qq 40, 42; C&AG’s Report, para 1.14 and 1.16 31 Q 18 32 Qq 31, 56, 58 33 Q 31; C&AG’s Report, para 19 34 Q 58 35 Qq 29–30; C&AG’s Report, para 1.9 36 C&AG’s Report, para 2.5 Tackling fraud and corruption against government 13 counter fraud and corruption. PSFA’s assessments prior to the onset of the pandemic suggested that use of and compliance with the functional standards was on the increase. It plans to repeat its assessments to establish recent trends. On the professional standards, PSFA explained that they have led to an upskilling of the counter-fraud practitioners across government by sharing with them the available skills, knowledge and experience of the profession. PSFA told us that, internationally, the UK is the first country in the world to have a counter-fraud profession, as well as the first to have a professional standard for fraud prevention.37
From: Public Accounts Committee, Sixty-Ninth Report - Tackling fraud and corruption against government (HC 1230), 8 September 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 18 November 2023 (deadline 8 November 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with most of the Committee's recommendations on tackling fraud and corruption against government, but disagrees with the recommendation for a separate annual strategic intelligence report.
- On a strategic intelligence report, the government disagrees. The PSFA "will not publish a separate strategic intelligence report", and says it will not publish information that could increase the fraud threat by showing how attacks could be executed.
- It will continue to publish annual Fraud Landscape Reports and bulletins. It says separating fraud from error requires determining intent, which is "cost intensive", so this is left to the discretion of individual departments.
- The government agrees the PSFA should update the Committee in 12 months on the outcome of the next Workforce and Performance Review, with a target implementation date of September 2024.
- On a cross-government communications strategy, the government agrees, with a target implementation date of June 2024. A working group "will develop and maintain a cross-government communications plan".