Unclear digital fraud guidelines

#16 — No clear explanation received for addressing internal market issues from Precision Breeding Act

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Recommendation: The Committee did not receive a clear or satisfactory explanation of how the Government intends to address UK internal market issues created by the England only Precision Breeding Act. (Conclusion, Paragraph 51)

Gov response: Noting that this recommendation was made in relation to precision breeding, the government does not accept this recommendation. Negotiations with the EU on an SPS Agreement are underway. Both the UK and the EU have …

No Published Response

#13 — Provide and publish a clear, realistic transition timetable for common SPS area

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Recommendation: The Government should provide a clear, realistic transition timetable for moving to a common SPS area, published with key milestones at least 12–24 months in advance. This must not be subject to repeated changes, and implementation plans should be developed …

Gov response: The government partially accepts this recommendation. As communicated on 9 March, it is our intent that the new SPS Agreement will take effect in mid-2027. We have been listening to businesses. We know that some …

No Published Response

#12 — Frequent border policy changes cause disruption, requiring realistic and stable timelines

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Recommendation: Frequent border policy changes over recent years have created disruption, uncertainty and financial pressure for port health and local authorities. Stakeholders are clear that another shift in border regimes will only be manageable if timelines are realistic, communicated early, and …

Gov response: The government partially accepts this recommendation. As communicated on 9 March, it is our intent that the new SPS Agreement will take effect in mid-2027. We have been listening to businesses. We know that some …

No Published Response

#1 — Clarify inclusion of on-farm animal welfare and labelling in EU SPS negotiations

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Recommendation: The Government must urgently clarify whether on-farm animal welfare and labelling will be included in negotiations with the EU of an SPS agreement so it can properly develop any future legislative changes, prepare industry for reforms and so those changes …

Gov response: The EU has accepted there will need to be areas where the UK will retain its own rules, as set out in the May 2025 Common Understanding. Details of these are subject to ongoing negotiation, …

No Published Response

#6 — Urgently publish timeline for extending Awaab's Law to all hazards by March 2026.

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Recommendation: The Government must urgently set and publish the timeline for extending Awaab’s Law to all remaining hazards, so that tenants and social landlords have clarity about when they can expect these new regulations to apply. This should be produced no …

Gov response: 25. In the coming weeks, we will work with the National Housing Federation, Local Government Association and other sector bodies to agree a compact. Once agreed, that compact will be overseen by a taskforce comprising …

Under Consideration

#5 — Provide clear roadmap and guidance for the remaining phases of Awaab's Law.

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Recommendation: Even though social landlords have been anticipating the introduction of Awaab’s Law for some time, the way the Government managed the introduction of Phase 1 unnecessarily added to the uncertainty and complexity providers had to grapple with to ensure they …

Gov response: 23. On 28 January 2026 we responded to our consultation on an updated and modernised Decent Homes Standard. The new, modernised DHS is designed to meet modern expectations of housing quality. By setting out in …

Under Consideration

#20 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: The Department acknowledged that its voluntary approach to working with industry had caused inconsistencies for victims and explained that it was beginning to introduce some mandatory measures. For example, it told us that only about 50% of victims of authorised …

Gov response: 6. PAC conclusion: The Department’s reliance on voluntary charters does not produce a strong enough incentive for industry to rapidly improve its response to fraud. 6. PAC recommendation: The Department should set out, as part …

Accepted

#19 — Department identified two potential fraud incidents totaling £2.2 million in COVID-19 loans

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: As at December 2024, the Department had identified two possible incidents of fraud among its borrowers, relating to loans valued at £2.2 million.47 It told us that it considered the level of fraud in its COVID–19 loans to be relatively …

Gov response: 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: November 2025 5.2 Every borrower is treated in line with the department's loan book objectives. The department maintains regular communication with its borrowers through …

Accepted

#49 — Ensure forthcoming Fraud Strategy includes specific measures tackling chargeback scams and friendly fraud.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: The Government should ensure that the forthcoming Fraud Strategy contains specific measures on tackling chargeback scams and friendly fraud in order to help SMEs in fighting this phenomenon. (Recommendation, Paragraph 172) High street regeneration

Response Pending

#48 — Chargeback scams pose a significant and growing threat to SME viability.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: Chargeback scams represent a major and growing threat to SME viability. The Government must improve protections against friendly fraud as a central part of its approach to supporting and protecting small businesses. (Conclusion, Paragraph 171)

Response Pending

#1 — Epidemic of fraud is increasing, accelerating during pandemic, with no reversal in sight.

Justice Committee

Recommendation: There is currently an epidemic of fraud in England and Wales. The level of fraud has been increasing year on year and this growth accelerated during the pandemic to an unprecedented level. As the country emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, …

Gov response: Tackling fraud is a priority of the Government and given the overlap between economic crime and national security, the Security Minister is well positioned to provide leadership, ownership and oversight of the Government’s response to …

Under Consideration

#5 —

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: A Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU is on balance in the UK’s interest. It will help support increased trade in agricultural goods. However, greater transparency and guidance is needed on its potential impacts on affected businesses. Clarity …

Response Pending

#9 —

Human Rights (Joint Committee)

Recommendation: The Home Office and relevant enforcement bodies should develop clear guidance on how FIRS data can be used to support investigations into TNR, and regular reviews should be conducted to assess the scheme’s effectiveness in this regard. (Recommendation, Paragraph 34)

Gov response: 1. Policing provides the Government with updates on the delivery of awareness and guidance for forces on a quarterly basis. This focuses on the number of officers and staff who complete online modules on the …

Under Consideration

#26 —

Treasury Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Government urgently legislates to give the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) powers to make reimbursement mandatory, and that the PSR then take rapid action to protect consumers. We recommend that the PSR and Treasury accelerate their consultation …

Gov response: Our initial work on APP scams led to the introduction of the CRM Code in May 2019. Since then, there has been a considerable amount of progress to protect victims and improve incentives for payment …

Accepted

#23 —

Treasury Committee

Recommendation: The Government should build on these foundations when it updates the Economic Crime Plan. But it should also ensure that regulators and law enforcement agencies have the powers they need to ensure that online companies provide them with information and …

Gov response: The government takes the threat of economic crime extremely seriously and has developed robust processes to ensure an effective and coordinated response. This involves departments across government, regulatory and enforcement agencies, and the private sector, …

Accepted

#22 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: City of London Police acknowledged that having the mechanisms to work internationally is important to allow the government to work proactively to tackle fraud. However, the NCA was admitted that government “really do have a lot more to do” when …

Gov response: 7. PAC conclusion: The Department has not prioritised developing relationships with international criminal justice agencies. 7. PAC recommendation: The Department should set out, as part of its Treasury Minute response, how it will achieve a …

Accepted

#21 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: Fraud is a global issue and criminals are increasingly using the internet to target victims from anywhere in the world. In the year to June 2022, 80% of frauds in England and Wales were enabled through computer technology, and the …

Gov response: 7. PAC conclusion: The Department has not prioritised developing relationships with international criminal justice agencies. 7. PAC recommendation: The Department should set out, as part of its Treasury Minute response, how it will achieve a …

Accepted

#8 — High levels of unrecovered fraud and error found in first wave business grants.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: The Department estimated fraud and error levels of £985 million were contained in the £11.7 billion grant funding provided for the first wave of business support grant schemes (Small Business Grant Fund; Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund; and Local …

Gov response: 1.1 The Government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer/early Autumn 2023 1.2 The Department for Business and Trade (DBT), previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, can conclude recovery is …

Not Addressed

#11 — Widespread bogus company registrations for fraud demand attention; new Companies House powers may improve protection.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: HMRC highlighted a more widespread problem with bogus registrations, where companies hijack taxpayers’ identities in an attempt to defraud HMRC.35 We have received written evidence on the time it takes for HMRC to resolve these cases and the distress this …

Gov response: 3.5 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 3.6 HMRC recognises the distress that misdirected letters can generate and will take immediate action to correct this when identified. The department would only use …

Accepted

#7 — Complex financial structures obscure water company finances and enable bad practices

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Recommendation: Complex financial structures are not necessarily a problem, but they can obscure water company finances, enable bad practices, undermine transparency and worsen the public perception of water companies. Water companies increasingly look like financial institutions rather than businesses servicing monopolised …

Response Pending

#34 — Introduce caps on business energy out-of-contract rates, deposits, and a 14-day cooling-off period.

Energy Security and Net Zero Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that Ofgem introduce a cap on out-of-contract rates and deposits that can be charged by suppliers to agree or renew business energy contracts. It should also introduce a mandatory 14-day cooling off period following a business energy bill …

Gov response: The Government is aware of instances of opaque and, at worst exploitative, tactics being used in the non-domestic energy market. This is why the Government and Ofgem are taking decisive action to inform and protect …

Not Accepted

#33 — Exploitative practices rampant in non-domestic energy market, targeting resource-poor business owners.

Energy Security and Net Zero Committee

Recommendation: We are greatly concerned by exploitative practices in the non-domestic energy market, especially instances of mis-selling and pressure selling, as well as excessive deposits and out-of-contract rates. These practices exploit resource-poor business owners who often lack the time and knowledge …

Gov response: The Government is aware of instances of opaque and, at worst exploitative, tactics being used in the non-domestic energy market. This is why the Government and Ofgem are taking decisive action to inform and protect …

Accepted

#23 — Smart meter rollout remains sluggish, unreliable, and fails to achieve adequate GB coverage.

Energy Security and Net Zero Committee

Recommendation: The smart meter rollout has been sluggish, unreliable and has failed to achieve adequate coverage across Great Britain. Poor levels of reliability mean that many consumers are unable to benefit from more accurate billing, which has increased the occurrence of …

Gov response: As of the end of June 2025, almost 40 million smart and advanced meters have been installed in homes and small businesses across Great Britain, representing 69% of all energy meters nationwide. Of these, 91% …

Not Addressed

#22 — Limit smart meter back-billing period to six months and publish supplier penalty data for breaches.

Energy Security and Net Zero Committee

Recommendation: Ofgem should limit the back billing period to six months for customers with a smart meter. It should also publish annual data on the penalties it gives energy suppliers for breaching its back billing rules. (Recommendation, Paragraph 79)

Gov response: This is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, but the Government agrees that customers should receive accurate bills, and where that is not the case the issue should be rectified as quickly as …

Not Addressed

#21 — High energy costs exacerbate severe impacts of billing issues, leading to overdue back bills.

Energy Security and Net Zero Committee

Recommendation: Energy bills are generally becoming more accurate, but the high cost of energy means that when billing issues do occur, the impacts are felt far more severely. In an era of smart metering, it is unacceptable that back bills are …

Gov response: This is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, but the Government agrees that customers should receive accurate bills, and where that is not the case the issue should be rectified as quickly as …

Not Addressed

#10 — Implement immediate steps to improve fraud reporting mechanisms and case progression for victims.

Justice Committee

Recommendation: Individual police forces do not have the capacity to manage the volume of fraud reports made and so it is vital that there is an effective reporting service that is victim-focused and can deal consistently with reports and progress cases …

Gov response: The Government is increasing law enforcement investigative capacity to tackle fraud. Over the next three years the Spending Review has allocated £400 million in tackling economic crime, including fraud. This is in addition to the …

Under Consideration

#17 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: In October 2022, our sister Committee published its report, Fraud and the Justice System. This examined in depth how the criminal justice system is set up to tackle fraud. It concluded that a wholesale change in philosophy and practice was …

Gov response: 5. PAC conclusion: The criminal justice system’s current approach to penalising and sentencing fraudsters is insufficient to prevent the UK being seen as a haven for fraudsters. 5. PAC recommendation: The Department should work with …

Accepted

#9 — Delayed recovery of fraud and error in business grants risking further losses.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: Of the £985 million estimate of fraud and error for the first wave of business support grant schemes, the Department has recovered £5.3 million through NATIS and local authorities.16 This represents 0.7% of the fraud and error estimate. The Department …

Gov response: 1.1 The Government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer/early Autumn 2023 1.2 The Department for Business and Trade (DBT), previously the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, can conclude recovery is …

Not Addressed

#41 — Support business security investments to help high street firms protect themselves from crime.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: Businesses now confront both rising crime and the increasing costs of implementing crime prevention measures. Government should do more to help businesses protect themselves on the high street. Security investments should be supported not penalised. (Conclusion, Paragraph 149)

Response Pending

#40 — Immediately set out the timeline for regulating Third-Party Intermediaries in the retail energy market.

Business and Trade Committee

Recommendation: The Government should immediately set out its timeline for regulating Third-Party Intermediaries in the retail energy market. (Recommendation, Paragraph 144) 75 The costs of crime

Response Pending

#14 — Action Fraud's successor must prioritise victim experience with trained support staff.

Justice Committee

Recommendation: While we welcome the Government’s commitment to replace Action Fraud with a new service better able to record and disseminate information about a crime, the service also needs to focus on victim experience, ensuring there are trained individuals staffing Action …

Gov response: The independent Sentencing Council is responsible for developing sentencing guidelines. It is therefore for the Council to consider the response to this recommendation. We confirm we have shared the report with the Office of the …

Under Consideration

#13 — Planned Action Fraud replacement focuses on technology, neglecting victim experience improvements.

Justice Committee

Recommendation: We welcome the Government’s plans to replace Action Fraud with a new service in 2024; however, we understand from the Government’s evidence to our inquiry that the planned changes are focused on the technology underpinning the service, primarily improving the …

Gov response: Effective disclosure of unused material remains a crucial part of a fair trial and is essential to avoiding miscarriages of justice. However, the Government recognises that disclosure remains one of the most complex issues in …

Under Consideration

#30 — Require Government to detail rural proofing, funding, transport, and digital health access plans.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that: a) the Government set out how rural proofing has been applied to the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill; and work with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to rural proof the Levelling-Up metrics to ensure progress in rural …

Gov response: The government already has extensive rural-proofing mechanisms which ensure that the unique challenges of rural communities are considered in all our policymaking. The government undertakes robust impact assessment processes when introducing any new policy. The …

Not Addressed

#23 — DWP is taking steps to help local authorities challenge fraudulent Housing Benefit claims

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: DWP told us that it is working closely with DLUHC to help all local authorities to act on fraud. In addition, it set out how the Bill will provide opportunities for local authorities to challenge fraudulent claims by giving more …

Gov response: 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: July 2024 5.2 DWP understands the importance of tackling fraud and error across all benefits. However, Housing Benefit fraud, for example, benefit fraud (from …

Accepted

#22 — DWP's current Housing Benefit fraud checks remain too limited at local level

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: DWP does some limited checks for fraud at a local level. It noted that it samples just 60 housing benefit claims per local authority for fraud and that supported housing benefit claims will only be a small portion of this …

Gov response: 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: July 2024 5.2 DWP understands the importance of tackling fraud and error across all benefits. However, Housing Benefit fraud, for example, benefit fraud (from …

Accepted

#20 — Lack of data hinders assessment of significant Housing Benefit fraud in supported housing

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: The problem of fraud is going largely unaddressed in supported housing. The NAO investigation found that DLUHC and DWP do not know how much fraud is made possible by gaps in oversight and regulation of supported housing. DWP has calculated …

Gov response: 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: July 2024 5.2 DWP understands the importance of tackling fraud and error across all benefits. However, Housing Benefit fraud, for example, benefit fraud (from …

Accepted

#28 — Review current disclosure guidelines to introduce specific guidance for digital fraud cases.

Justice Committee

Recommendation: The Attorney General should review the current disclosure guidelines and consider whether there is merit in introducing specific guidance on disclosure in fraud cases with large quantities of digital material.

Gov response: Effective disclosure of unused material remains a crucial part of a fair trial and is essential to avoiding miscarriages of justice. However, the Government recognises that disclosure remains one of the most complex issues in …

Under Consideration

#27 — Application of disclosure rules is problematic in digital fraud cases, requiring clearer guidelines.

Justice Committee

Recommendation: Our inquiry heard of problems with the application of disclosure rules which can result in significant amounts of police and prosecution time being spent redacting and disclosing vast amounts of material that turns out to be unnecessary to the case …

Gov response: Effective disclosure of unused material remains a crucial part of a fair trial and is essential to avoiding miscarriages of justice. However, the Government recognises that disclosure remains one of the most complex issues in …

Under Consideration

#15 — Introduce legislative changes to allow flexible compensation order value adjustments for victims.

Justice Committee

Recommendation: The Government should introduce changes to compensation order legislation to allow for flexibility in altering the order value if a criminal is later found to have assets of greater value which can be used to compensate victims of their crimes. …

Gov response: The Government agrees that tackling fraud requires a unified and co-ordinated response from government, law enforcement and the private sector to better protect the public and businesses from fraud, reduce the impact of fraud on …

Accepted

#2 — Fraud enforcement and prosecution must adapt to new online technologies.

Justice Committee

Recommendation: As the ways in which frauds are being perpetrated change, making increased use of the online sphere and new technologies, the enforcement and prosecution of these crimes also needs to adapt to keep pace with the crimes being conducted.

Gov response: The Government agrees that it is imperative that all victims of fraud receive enough support and advice. To ensure this standard is met, the Home Office are working with the City of London Police (CoLP) …

Accepted

#4 — Mandate the Ministerial taskforce to explicitly review misleading and fraudulent NFT and cryptoasset advertising.

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: We welcome the Government’s recently articulated intention to introduce statutory regulation for online advertising, in line with our conclusions and recommendations from our “Influencer culture” inquiry last year. We recommend that the Government respond to the evidence we have gathered …

Gov response: The Government is committed to tackling illegal advertising, including fraudulent or scam adverts; it is essential that consumers have access to fair, clear, and not misleading, information prior to any purchase. There are already specific …

Accepted

#16 — Preventing fraud should be paramount, alongside maximising asset recovery for victims.

Justice Committee

Recommendation: We are wary of placing too great an emphasis on the compensation of victims. We do not want to give criminals carte blanche to commit their crimes just because victims can be reimbursed, since their crimes will continue to have …

Gov response: The Government agrees with the recommendation of the Committee that further charters, including with social media and tech companies, are an important programme of work. The Home Office is intending to launch a tech and …

Accepted

#84 — Accelerate the timetable for the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences.

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We urge the Home Office to accelerate the timetable for the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences. (Paragraph 214) 70 Policing priorities

Gov response: 115. Part one of the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences, which is looking specifically at the operation of the disclosure regime for all crime type, is expected to report back in Summer 2024. …

Not Accepted

#10 — BBC has a critical role in educating older, less tech-confident audiences on new technology.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: We raised the question of education for people, typically older people, who are not familiar or confident with adopting what may be new technology to them. The BBC stressed its universality obligation to ensure that content is accessible. It also …

Gov response: The Committee published its report on 28 April 2023 and the BBC will write directly to the Committee regarding the recommendations in the report.

Not Addressed