Recommendation 22

The C&AG’s report noted that GIAA concluded that neither SLC nor OfS have a formal fraud enforcement role and highlighted the challenges in gaining assurance over the legitimacy of funding applications.57 DfE told us that it is looking at formal roles and responsibilities, including whether aspects needed to be strengthened or where it would be good to make action easier to take. DfE told us that, for individual-level fraud SLC has adequate powers to stop and recover payments, and good information sharing arrangements. DfE said it is more concerned about misuse of student funding, where the issue and the framework are not as clear-cut. It recognised that there are places where responsibilities and obligations could be clearer.58