The Social Security Fraud Bill has completed its long passage through the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Maurice Morrow, Minister for Social Development, said: “Members across the Assembly agree that we must take steps to reduce the £73 million of public money lost due to benefit fraud in Northern Ireland each year.”

The four main elements in the Bill are:

• The introduction of additional powers to obtain information from specified private and public sector organisations to tackle benefit fraud and error



• The introduction of powers to reduce or withdraw specified benefits where an offender is convicted twice of benefit offences within a period of three years



• The introduction of a new discretionary power which will allow the Department and the authorities administering Housing Benefit to offer a financial administrative penalty to an employer as an alternative to prosecution



• The introduction of powers to facilitate a closer working relationship between the Department and the authorities administering Housing Benefit in the operation of the administrative penalty system

The Minister said that he hoped the provisions of the Bill would help to reduce the loss through, firstly, prevention and earlier detection, and, secondly, by deterrence, through the power to remove benefit from persistent offenders and the swift and effective punishment of collusive employers. (AMcE)