Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Accepted
Central data on fraud-related whistleblowing cases lacks seriousness and nature details
Conclusion
The National Audit Office reported that fraud accounts for around 40% of concerns raised but the central data does not indicate the seriousness of any of the types of concerns raised.22 HMRC and DWP told us that they both have a very small portion of fraud-related whistleblowing cases in proportion to the size and nature of their departments.23 This would indicate these cases relate to concerns raised in other departments. The Cabinet Office could not confirm if these fraud-related cases are truly whistleblowing, as it does not have an understanding of the nature of these cases beyond the ‘fraud’ categorisation in its data collection. The Cabinet Office acknowledged this to be an area that it could follow up on by talking to departments about what information they track, and it could also talk to the Public Sector Fraud Authority about the data that it already collects in this area so that it does not duplicate that.24
Government Response Summary
The Cabinet Office will analyse data to categorize key themes, clarify investigation times, explore whistleblower experience, ensure all responses are submitted, follow up on ongoing cases, hold assurance conversations, assess whistleblower experience, and scrutinize areas of concern, also working with the Public Sector Fraud Agency to explore any themes identified from 2024-2025 data.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
2.2 The Cabinet Office has robustly analysed the data submitted to: • categorise key themes / cases to support understanding of the data / what it is telling us; • clarify the time taken to conclude investigations and look for ways to reduce this; • explore the experience / treatment of the whistleblower; • ensure ALL responses, including NIL, are submitted; • follow up on cases which were ongoing at the time of collection; • hold departmental assurance conversations; • assess the experience of the whistleblower, where data is available; • scrutinise areas of concern and hold departmental assurance conversations. 2.3 The Cabinet Office Government People Group will work with other parts of the Cabinet Office, including the Public Sector Fraud Agency (PSFA) to ensure any themes identified from 2024-2025 data are explored and any lessons learned shared. The Cabinet Office will also look at the People Survey results and consider any actions to support improvements as necessary, including supporting departments with cultural and individual perceptions around raising concerns.