NSUN has signed a joint letter to Liz Kendall MP, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, opposing proposals announced earlier this week to introduce mass financial surveillance powers. The new Fraud, Error and Debt Bill appears very similar to defeated proposals by the last Conservative government to allow the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) access to people’s financial records without their consent in the name of social security fraud investigation, which NSUN also opposed as part of coalitionary resistance work.
While the Government claims that these powers would only be used in a targeted way by highly trained staff, there is no way of doing this that would not involve everyone’s banking activity being made available to the DWP. The social security system should be a reliable safety net, allowing those who need it to live fulfilling and independent lives. Instead, crucial support has become increasingly difficult to access, and covertly monitoring people’s financial activity would only lead to more criminalisation of those in need of it. This is particularly concerning for those of us who experience mental ill-health, distress and trauma, who often already face excessive scrutiny from the social security system.
NSUN will continue to vocally oppose mass financial surveillance powers, and any other proposed measures that could deprive Disabled people and those experiencing mental ill-health, distress or trauma of the support they need. We are preparing a Disability and mental health-specific briefing on the dangers of the powers proposed in the Fraud, Error and Debt Bill for MPs and Lords along with Disability Rights UK and the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People. We will update our members as this work progresses and alert them to any changes in the law that may affect their social security entitlement.