Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Accepted
We have previously called on the Government to attach conditions to the use of taxpayer-funded...
Recommendation
We have previously called on the Government to attach conditions to the use of taxpayer-funded support and are disappointed that, on each occasion measures have been extended, the Government has failed to do this. We recommend that the Government reviews what enforcement powers it has to ‘claw back’ support where appropriate, and what additional checks or conditions could be applied to support for businesses in order to reduce instances of fraud, and to sanction businesses which have accessed public funds in bad faith. (Paragraph 45) The impact of Coronavirus on businesses and workers: interim pre-Budget report 23
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepts the recommendation to combat fraud and claw back funds, committing over £100 million to a new Taxpayer Protection Taskforce with 1,265 HMRC staff. It will also strengthen law enforcement for Bounce Back Loans and continue to work with agencies to recover funds, though details of recovery and prosecution approaches will not be made public.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
52. To support the individuals and businesses most indeed during the pandemic, the Government has set out an expansive multi-billion pound package to support. The Government acted fast to support the labour market, while ensuring fraud risks were mitigated where possible. However, a minority of claimants are abusing the schemes and costing the taxpayer, and so the Government will protect taxpayers by tackling fraud and abuse within Covid-19 support packages.
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