Recommendation 4

DfE, OfS and SLC recognise they have a shared responsibility to tackle fraud and abuse of student funding although this is not yet fully embedded in their ways of working. In our July 2023report on tackling fraud and corruption across government, we concluded that tackling fraud cannot be left to counter-fraud technical experts. Senior officials across government must demonstrate leadership, set the tone, and build in preventative approaches. DfE, OfS and SLC acknowledge that they missed an opportunity to intervene early for one of the case studies cited in the C&AG’s report. With better information sharing and awareness of the risks, DfE might have acted differently. DfE, OfS and SLC now meet regularly in a newly created group to share intelligence and consider risk. Recommendation 4: DfE, OfS and SLC should agree a shared risk culture and risk appetite, supported by a formal reporting framework (including targets for fraud prevention and reduction), and write this into each organisation’s risk register.