Report warns service provided to customers is a mixed bag with levels of fraud remaining unacceptably high
Disability benefits claimants receive an unacceptably poor level of service from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). In a report published today, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warns that the DWP’s understanding of vulnerable customers’ experience is not good enough, with how it provides customer service overall also falling short.
The report finds that benefit claimants received over £4bn less than they were entitled to in 2023-24. This increases the risk of financial hardship for the people losing out. This figure of underpayments has risen from £3.5bn in 2022-23. Underpayment rates are highest for disability benefits, such as Personal Independent Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
The inquiry heard that disabled peoples’ experiences of the benefit system are often negative due to issues with the design of the system and how DWP communicates, with evidence that 43% of claimants with complex disabilities do not have their needs met through DWP’s communications.
Not informing DWP of a change in circumstances is the most common reason for underpayments – the report notes that many claimants need to call DWP to do so, but a significant proportion of calls go unanswered.
The PAC is warning that DWP does not understand well enough the experience of vulnerable customers and customers with additional or complex needs, and should gather the data it needs to gain this understanding.
The DWP conceded to the PAC that, while it had been using artificial intelligence to help identify vulnerable customers at the time of the Committee’s inquiry, it did not have a system to identify such customers on the telephone.*
The report raises continuing concerns about the potential negative impact on protected groups and vulnerable customers of DWP’s use of machine learning to identify potential fraud, and seeks reassurance from Government that claimants are not being treated unfairly through its use.
Recipients of PIP and ESA, the report finds, receive an unacceptably poor service from DWP. ESA claimants have to wait an average of nearly 30 minutes for DWP to answer their calls (compared to approximately 2 minutes for Universal Credit claimants). For new PIP claimants, only half of these are processed on time (as compared to 96% of new State Pension claims).
While benefits underpayments are climbing, the report also warns that overpayments are also on the rise, with £9.5bn of benefit expenditure (excluding State Pension) overpaid in 2023-24 – up from £8.2bn in 2022-23.
The report calls out DWP’s defence of its current performance: by referring to the challenge of working against a “headwind” of an increasing propensity for fraud in society. The PAC sees this as a dangerous mindset, stressing that it is the DWP’s job to improve its defences and ensure benefit claimants receive the right amount of money.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “Our report’s disheartening findings illustrate the stark disparity of experience between claimants for disability benefit and other users of the system.
“In some cases, claimants are literally calling for help and receiving no answer, resulting in increasing risks to their financial security. The British public would be forgiven for thinking the state is AWOL just when it needs it most.
“The DWP must do more to ensure that claimants are reunited with the money to which they are entitled, as well as to understand the needs of vulnerable claimants.
“Our Committee is closely scrutinising the use of AI in Government. While this Committee would welcome the use of AI for the benefit of the public, the onus is also on the DWP to prove it is using these powerful tools in a safe and fair manner.
!We are also as concerned at the picture of growing underpayments as we are with overpayments, and have little sympathy for the DWP’s argument that this rise is driven by a growing propensity for fraud in society.
“This amounts to saying that the DWP’s job is too hard to do well – not a defence that this Committee is prepared to accept.”
The Westminster Government has today (Monday 27 January) pledged to end the throwaway society and clean up Britain, as it implements legislation for the deposit return scheme for drinks containers in England and Northern Ireland.
Once the scheme launches in October 2027, consumers will have a financial incentive to return empty containers to a collection point, such as at their local supermarket, so that the bottle or can will be recycled.
Used in more than 50 countries worldwide as a common-sense means of encouraging people to recycle more single-use bottles and cans, a DRS sees people being paid back for returning the container.
Countries such as Germany, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland have successfully implemented schemes, ensuring valuable materials are collected, recycled and made back into new drinks containers – a truly circular approach easily grasped by the public. The average return rate for European countries with a DRS is 90%, according to global eNGO Reloop, with Germany showing the best results at 98%.
Introducing such a scheme in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland is a simple yet hugely effective way of addressing problems with rubbish building up on our streets and in our rivers and oceans, while also ensuring the public gets money back on their bottle.
Across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, consumers buy an estimated 30 billion single-use drinks containers each year – including 12 billion plastic drinks bottles and 13 billion drinks cans. An estimated 6.5 billion single-use drinks bottles and cans per year go to waste rather than being recycled, with many ending up littered. Research from the Marine Conservation Society shows 97% of surveyed beaches were polluted with drinks-related items in 2023.
Encouraging everyone to get involved in recycling, the DRS will be introduced in October 2027, with 150ml to three-litre single-use drinks containers made from plastic and metal included in the scheme.
Delivering these reforms and driving investment in the recycling sector delivers on the Government’s Plan for Change through kickstarting growth, ensuring economic stability, greater efficiency, and jobs fit for the future.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said:This Government will clean up Britain and end the throwaway society.
“This is a vital step as we stop the avalanche of rubbish that is filling up our streets, rivers and oceans and protect our treasured wildlife. Turning trash into cash also delivers on our Plan for Change by kickstarting clean growth, ensuring economic stability, more resilient supply chains, and new green jobs.
Northern Ireland’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir said:“I have ambitious goals to protect our climate, drive green growth and reduce unnecessary waste. The creation of a Deposit Return Scheme plays a key part in delivering those goals.
“The introduction of the new parliamentary regulations is a significant step in that process and signals our commitment to move forward together to make those ambitions a reality.
“New legislation for England and Northern Ireland has now come into force, enabling the appointment of the scheme administrator – known as the Deposit Management Organisation – in April 2025. This will be a not-for-profit, industry-led body responsible for the administration and day-to-day running of the scheme.
With Scotland’s own regulations also progressing, this marks a major step forward for the introduction of the scheme across the three nations.
The three governments will ensure the scheme is implemented effectively, working closely with businesses to provide the infrastructure and investment to make it a success.
The Scottish Government first announced it’s intentions to introduce our own Deposit Return Scheme back in September 2017, but plans were scuppered. Holyrood has yet to comment on the UK Government’s announcement this morning.
Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, said:“A Deposit Return Scheme really is a silver bullet that will get plastic drinks bottles and aluminium cans out of our parks, off our streets and away from our rivers and seas.
“Depressingly we litter, burn or bury millions of drinks containers each and every day. This legislation will end all that, save the taxpayer millions in clean-up costs and give recycling a real shot in the arm.
“Backed and paid for by producers, this method of retrieval and recycling is tried and tested the world over so at Keep Britain Tidy we are putting out the bunting that this government is committed to make it happen, for us all.”
Stephen Moorhouse, Vice President and General Manager of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB Business Unit, said:“We’ve been supportive of launching a DRS across the UK for a number of years as they are a proven way of increasing recycling, reducing waste and tackling litter.
“Therefore, we welcome the clarity provided by the regulation for England and Northern Ireland and are encouraged by recent developments that will ensure an aligned scheme with Scotland, despite wider challenges around a UK-wide approach.
“Delivering to the timelines will be challenging but achievable, and now is the time for industry to roll up its sleeves to create a well-designed system that works for businesses, shoppers and the environment.”
Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: “We are pleased to have certainty on the DRS regulations so local shops can start to prepare for October 2027 and our communities can realise the benefits of reduced litter and higher quality recycled materials.
“Now the real work begins to make the deposit return scheme a success through cross-industry partnership and a planned network of return points that work for customers.”
Sandy Luk, Chief Executive at the Marine Conservation Society, said:“Today marks a fantastic win for our seas, as MPs voted in favour of a deposit return scheme in England and Northern Ireland.
“With plans already in motion in Scotland and the Welsh Government exploring an ambitious scheme to include reuse, this is a great step towards schemes starting across the UK in October 2027.
“Last year, 97% of surveyed UK beaches were polluted with bottles and cans, posing threat to marine life like seabirds and seals. Deposit return schemes will not only boost recycling and move us towards a circular economy where nothing is thrown away but also significantly reduce this kind of beach pollution.
“We’re excited to support governments and industry in launching these schemes as soon as possible.”
Hitting this milestone is another big step forward for the Government’s collection and packaging reforms, which together will support 21,000 new jobs and stimulate more than £10 billion of investment in recycling over the next decade.
The action to clean up Britain doesn’t end there – there is more to come as the Government moves to ensure the throwaway society is ended for good.
Legislation has been laid to ban the sale of single-use vapes from 1 June 2025 and prevent the waste of precious resources – eNGO Material Focus estimates almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in 2023.
The Government has also announced that a £15 million government fund will help deliver thousands of tonnes of food from farms which would otherwise go to waste to those who need it most.
Chancellor continues ‘bold reform’ of the planning system in England to deliver on the Plan for Change
Chancellor reveals new plans for more houses near commuter train stations to kick start economic growth, as government continues its bold reform of the planning system to deliver on the Plan for Change for working people.
Sweeping reforms under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will take an axe to red tape that slows down approval of infrastructure projects and the government will work with Parliamentarians to ensure a smooth and speedy delivery.
Chancellor highlights in its first six months the government has already taken 13 planning decisions and approved 9 nationally significant infrastructure projects spanning airports, data centres, energy farms, and major housing developments.
Untapped land near commuter transport hubs will be unlocked to build new housing for working people, as part of ‘bold new steps’ to reform the planning system and unlock growth to deliver win-win outcomes for the country and the economy. The reforms will create secure, high-paying jobs and deliver major infrastructure faster to bolster public services and lower bills.
Ahead of the Chancellor’s speech next week on economic growth, the government has today announced how it will go further and faster to deliver Plan for Change milestones of 1.5 million new homes over five years and 150 decisions on major infrastructure projects by the end of the Parliament.
It follows the ambitious reforms unveiled by the Chancellor in July and delivered by the Deputy Prime Minister at the end of last year through publication of the overhauled National Planning Policy Framework.
The government’s next steps on planning reform include streamlining a set of national policies for decision making to guide planning decisions taken by local authorities and promote housebuilding in key areas.
In a major new growth push, the government will ensure that when developers submit an application for acceptable types of schemes in key areas – such as in high potential locations near commuter transport hubs – that the default answer to development is ‘yes’.
This will unlock more housing at a greater density in areas central to local communities, boosting the government’s number one mission to grow the economy. These measures will transform communities, with more shops and homes nearer to the transport hubs that working people rely on day in day out.
As part of these measures, the government will streamline decisions on critical infrastructure projects by slashing red tape in the planning system which is holding up projects. That means looking again at the input from expert bodies who developers are required to consult – and replacing the current systems of environmental assessment to deliver a more effective and streamlined system that reduces costs and delays for developers, whilst still protecting the environment.
The Chancellor also revealed today that she is championing a regeneration project around Old Trafford in Manchester that will see new housing, commercial and public space as a shining example of the bold pro-development model that will drive growth across the region, with authorities exploring setting up a mayoral development corporation body to redevelop the area.
The government is also working with Greater Manchester to release growth-generating land around transport hubs through local development orders, such as around Castleton Station, with the potential for this innovative use of existing powers to kickstart building in these sites to be a blueprint for the rest of the country so that every corner of the UK benefits from growth.
The new proposals tackle the dire inheritance head on. Last year homebuilding fell below 200k and permissions reached their lowest for over a decade, which is why the government is taking radical action necessary to reverse this trend and deliver the homes necessary to reach 1.5 million homes over this Parliament.
This government is turning the page on the decline and decay of the past and choosing growth with a significant number of planning decisions already made by Ministers since July. This includes 13 planning decisions taken by Ministers over 90% of which within the target timeframe, and 9 nationally significant infrastructure projects approved, collectively spanning airports, data centres, solar farms and major housing developments such as the Expansion of London City Airport, a data centre in Buckinghamshire and a new M&S store in Oxford Street, London.
The government has committed to making 150 decisions on these major economic infrastructure applications over this Parliament, more than doubling the decisions made in the previous Parliament and more than 130 made since 2011.
This will unlock the growth necessary to deliver win-win outcomes for the country and the economy – creating stable and high-paying jobs, building more affordable homes, and delivering critical infrastructure faster to bolster public services and lower bills – while improving the environment where it matters most.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said: “I am fighting every single day in our mission to kick start the economy, deliver on our Plan for Change, and make working people better off. That includes avenues that others have shied away from.
“Too often the answer to new development has been “no”. But that is the attitude that has stunted economic growth and left working people worse off. We need to do things differently and that journey began as soon as I started at the Treasury in July. These are our next steps and I can say for certain, there is more to come.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner said: “From day one I have been clear that bold action is needed to remove the blockers who put a chokehold on growth. That’s why we are putting growth at the heart of our planning system.
“Growth means higher wages, better living standards, families raising their children in safer homes, and the next generation taking their first steps onto the housing ladder.
“This year we will go even further to make the dream of homeownership a reality for millions and fix the housing crisis we inherited for good – getting more shovels in the ground to build the homes and vital infrastructure that our communities so desperately need.”
Growth is the number one mission of the Labour Government’s Plan for Change, so we can put more money in people’s pocket. Today the Chancellor is setting out further action on the government’s growth mission by announcing the following:
Planning
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will provide the powers to accelerate the infrastructure and homes needed to deliver on the government’s ambitions – and fast track critical infrastructure such as windfarms, power plants, and major road and rail projects. Today the government is confirming for the first time that the Bill will be introduced in Spring and we will work with Parliamentarians to ensure a smooth and speedy delivery.
Further detail on the Bill is being published today in a working paper on streamlining decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects, including reducing the burden on developers by making consultation requirements more proportionate, strengthening statutory guidance to ensure they are clear over what is and is not required when submitting planning applications, and ensuring that National Policy Statements are updated at least every five years to give more certainty to developers, speeding up decisions.
Previous working papers have already set out reforms to the operation of planning committees, and an overhaul of the way developers can discharge their environmental obligations so that they can crack on with building.
The Chancellor is today also announcing reform to the statutory consultee system, which requires developers to consult local communities and expert bodies when making planning decisions. This often means too many organisations consulted on too wide a range of issues, clogging up much-needed development.
Today the government has declared a moratorium on any new statutory consultees and the Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister will review in the coming weeks the existing arrangements to make sure they meet this Government’s ambitions for growth.
This follows changes announced last week to the rules around challenging major infrastructure projects through the courts – stopping blockers getting in the way of the Government’s Plan for Change and getting nuclear plants, trainlines and windfarms built quicker. Current excessive rules mean unarguable cases can be bought back to the courts three times.
This will be overhauled, with just one attempt at legal challenge for hopeless cases that would previously have caused much more delay.
Environment
The government is also reforming environmental impact assessments, which have strayed from their original purpose of supporting decision making and have become voluminous and costly documents that too often support legal challenges rather than the environment.
They will be replaced by Environmental Outcome Reports which will be simpler and much clearer, which will support growth by saving developers time and money, whilst still protecting the environment. The government will publish a roadmap for the delivery of these new Environment Outcomes Reports in the coming months.
This follows a working paper on development and nature published by the government before Christmas setting out a new approach that will turbocharge the delivery of housing and infrastructure while securing positive environmental outcomes.
Developers will be able to pay into the Nature Restoration Fund which will allow them to discharge relevant environmental obligations for protected sites and species and focus on building, safe in the knowledge that appropriate action will be taken to support nature’s recovery.
Major infrastructure
A working paper is being published setting out the government’s plan for its 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy, which will be focussed on infrastructure’s role in enabling resilient growth, delivering clean energy by 2030 and net zero by 2050 while securing the growth benefits of the transition, and improving public services.
The working paper seeks industry views as part of the government’s continued consultation on the development of the strategy which will be published in late Spring.
Jennie Daly, CEO of Taylor Wimpey said:“We continue to be impressed by the speed with which the government has gripped the need for planning reform to deliver much needed new housing supply. New high-quality housing and the infrastructure it brings are essential drivers of economic growth.
“We welcome the commitment from the government to introduce the Planning and Infrastructure Bill as a priority in the spring, and we look forward to supporting the promised consultation work on reforming the planning system to expedite decisions and overcome local barriers to growth.”
Mark Reynolds, Mace Group Executive Chairman and Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council said:“When the government and the Construction sector work in partnership we can unlock growth of up to 2% of GDP.The simplification and streamlining of the planning system is a significant contributor to this so the announcements today are a welcome development which could deliver £2 billion per year in savings once fully implemented.
“In addition the upcoming publication of the 10 year National Infrastructure Strategy is an opportunity to set out plans for ambitious growth and chart a direction for the industry, instilling confidence in businesses to invest in skills, innovation and deliver profitable growth, we look forward to contributing to its success.”
Neil Jefferson, CEO of Home Builders Federations said:“Identifying more land for development and removing the treacle from the planning process that delays applications is essential if we are to increase housing supply.
“The swift moves to address these blocks in the planning system are very welcome and will pay dividends if the other constraints on housing supply can be tackled. Housing delivery is dependent upon a range of factors, of which planning is a major one, and these changes underline the government’s commitment to increasing supply.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “With our devolved powers we’re mobilising the whole Greater Manchester system to lock in growth for the next decade and reap the rewards for our city-region and UK plc.
“The project around Old Trafford represents the biggest opportunity for urban regeneration this country has seen since London 2012 and is a key part of our 10-year plan to turbocharge growth across Greater Manchester.
“We look forward working with the Government on moving freight away from the site around Old Trafford to new locations to open up capacity our rail network, and unlock massive regeneration potential – delivering benefits across the whole of the North.”
As part of its ‘relentless focus’ to get Britain building and achieve the ambition to build 1.5 million new homes over five years, the government has already:
Overhauled the National Planning Policy Framework, including new and higher mandatory housebuilding targets for councils, a comprehensive modernisation of the Green Belt, and far greater support for growth-supporting development such as labs and datacentres.
Launched a New Homes Accelerator group to unlock thousands of new homes currently in the planning system.
Published a series of working papers on further reforms to the planning system:
‘brownfield passports’, designed to ensure that where planning proposals meet design and quality standards, the default answer to planning permission is ‘yes’,
development and nature recovery, detailing a new approach for developers to discharge environmental obligations through payment into a Nature Restoration Fund which then allows them to crack on with building,
planning committees, proposing a national scheme of delegation to speed up the approval process and provide greater certainty to developers.
Set up an independent New Towns Taskforce, as part of a long-term vision to create largescale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each.
Awarded £68 million to 54 local councils to unlock housing on brownfield sites.
Awarded £47 million to seven councils to unlock homes stalled by nutrient neutrality rules.
Extended the existing Home Building Fund for this year providing up to £700 million of vital support to SME housebuilders, supporting the delivery of around 12,000 additional homes.
Confirmed that government investment in housing will increase to £5 billion for this year, including an extra £500 million in new funding for the Affordable Homes Programme to deliver tens of thousands of new affordable and social homes across the country.
‘there seems to be no desire to move away from an unsatisfactory short-term system, leaving local authorities attempting to save a sinking ship with little more than a leaky bucket’
Families face long stretches in unsuitable accommodation and the prospect of being relocated.
Dire need for housing sector reform and increase in the availability of affordable housing.
Record homelessness levels are placing local authorities’ finances under unsustainable pressure. In a report published today, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warns of an overreliance on the use of temporary accommodation, due in part to a dwindling and increasingly costly housing stock.
The PAC is calling for a clear strategy and stronger support for local authorities to address what has become a crisis situation.
Of the estimated £2.1bn spent by local authorities in 2023-24 on temporary accommodation, the report finds that a large proportion was used to meet the urgent need for immediate support, rather than the preventative measures so desperately needed.
Despite there being an overarching homelessness strategy for each of the devolved nations, England does not have one.
The report calls on Government to set out such a strategy, which should clearly outline how preventative measures will be incentivised. It also argues for an exemption from requirements on local connections or residency for all veterans, care leavers under 25 years, and victims of domestic abuse, as well as for competition between local authorities and the Home Office for temporary accommodation to be eliminated.
The report raises deep concerns around the number of families being housed outside their local area. This has risen to 39,000, a practice which alarmingly seems to be becoming increasingly common.
Equally alarming is the fact that 6,000 homeless families with children live in B&Bs, due to the lack of alternative accommodation. The report stresses the detrimental impact that living in this type of accommodation has on people’s lives; particularly children whose safety and wellbeing can be severely compromised as a result. Government should encourage better coordination between local authorities and set out how it will support them to reduce the use of B&Bs.
With 45% of households facing a shortfall between the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) they receive and the rent they pay, the PAC warns the Government is not considering the impact on homelessness when setting LHA rates.
The decisions made by Government to determine LHA are seemingly subjective. This issue is exacerbated by the lack of affordable housing, on which Government seems frustratingly unable to provide detailed assurances.
Further, poor oversight of the sector and gaps in current regulations are allowing is allowing landlords to provide costly, sub-standard housing with little support, supervision or care. The PAC urges Government to set out the logic behind LHA rates and details of the proposed new housing strategy along with strengthening its position to provide better oversight of the sector.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “My Committee is deeply concerned by the number of people currently being housed in sub-standard, overpriced and at times, wholly inappropriate accommodation, sometimes a long way from their previous home.
“A lack of affordable housing, a focus on short-term solutions and no clear strategy to tackle this issue have left us with thousands of families in deeply troubling circumstances.
“Worryingly there seems to be no desire to move away from an unsatisfactory short-term system, leaving local authorities attempting to save a sinking ship with a little more than a leaky bucket.
“Local authorities find themselves at breaking point as they haemorrhage funds to cover the rising costs of housing families in temporary accommodation.
“We are calling for an overarching strategy that addresses the need for better connectivity across Government departments to tackle the root causes of this crisis. Without one, we fear this will remain an issue into which money is simply poured, without effectively tackling the blight of homelessness.
“Government must learn from the lessons of the past to inform what they will do in the future.”
Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry examining the pilot Safer Drug Consumption Facility (SDCF) which opened in Glasgow’s East End yesterday.
The facility, on Hunter Street, is the UK’s first official consumption room for illegal drugs. Known as ‘the Thistle,’ the facility will enable people to consume illegal drugs under medical supervision.
By doing so, the facility aims to reduce overdoses and associated public disorder, whilst also offering health reduction services to people who do not receive other health and social supports.
The inquiry will focus specifically on the legal and policy challenges faced in setting up and running the facility, its current legal position and the challenges this presents, as well as the facility’s effectiveness in reducing drug-related deaths in Scotland.
The inquiry will consider what legal changes at UK level might be necessary to enable the facility to operate sustainably beyond its three-year pilot.
The inquiry will also follow up on relevant aspects of the Scottish Affairs Committee’s previous work on this issue in the 2017-19 Parliament.
Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee, Patricia Ferguson MP, said: “Scotland has the highest rate of drug deaths in Europe, and Glasgow is at the centre of this crisis. It’s vital that things change and that both Governments work together to tackle problem drug use and stop people dying.
“In 2019, a predecessor Scottish Affairs Committee recommended that the UK Government should support a pilot drug consumption room like this in Glasgow. Since then, policy and legal developments have made the facility a reality.
“This new inquiry is an important opportunity for us to look closely at how the facility reduces the harm caused by problem drug use, and what legal changes might be needed if the facility is to be made permanent.”
Terms of reference
The Committee welcomes written submissions on some or all of the following points by 13th February 2025:
1. Why is a pilot Safer Drugs Consumption Facility (SDCF) being opened in Glasgow, and how is it intended to reduce harm from problem drug use in the area?
What were the key legal, policy and political barriers to opening the pilot facility?
How can the medical effectiveness or impacts of the pilot facility be measured, and what does ‘success’ look like?
What lessons can be learned from international contexts, when considering the medical effectiveness of the facility?
2. What is the current legal position of the SDCF in Glasgow?
Is the SDCF’s current legal position sustainable to enable the effective operation of the facility in the long-term?
How would the Lord Advocate’s decision that it would “not be in the public interest” to prosecute users or facilitators of Glasgow’s SDCF operate in practice?
What issues could be presented by the facility’s current legal position, including in respect of civil liability?
What implications does the facility have for local policing?
3. What does a long-term, sustainable legal framework for a SDCF look like?
What legal and/or policy changes would be required from the UK Government to implement such a model?
What lessons can be learned from international contexts, when considering a sustainable legal model for a SDCF.
Predators who create sexually explicit ‘deepfakes’ could face prosecution as the Government bears down on vile online abuse
Government to make creating sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images a criminal offence
Perpetrators to face up to two years behind bars under new offences for taking an intimate image without consent and installing equipment to enable these offences
Package delivers on UK Government’s Plan for Change and manifesto commitment to protect women and girls
Predators who create sexually explicit ‘deepfakes’ could face prosecution as the Government bears down on vile online abuse as part of its mission to make our streets safer.
The proliferation of these hyper-realistic images has grown at an alarming rate, causing devastating harm to victims, particularly women and girls who are often the target.
To tackle this, the government will introduce a new offence meaning perpetrators could be charged for both creating and sharing these images, not only marking a crackdown on this abhorrent behaviour but making it clear there is no excuse for creating a sexually explicit deepfake of someone without their consent.
The Government will also create new offences for the taking of intimate images without consent and the installation of equipment with intent to commit these offences – sending a clear message that abusers will face the full force of the law.
Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said: “It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised, and as part of our Plan for Change we are bearing down on violence against women – whatever form it takes.
“These new offences will help prevent people being victimised online. We are putting offenders on notice – they will face the full force of the law.”
While it is already an offence to share – or threaten to share – an intimate image without consent, it is only an offence to take an image without consent in certain circumstances, such as upskirting.
Under the new offences, anyone who takes an intimate image without consent faces up to two years’ custody. Those who install equipment so that they, or someone else, can take intimate images without consent also face up to two years behind bars.
The move delivers on the Government’s manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes as well as recommendations from the Law Commission relating to intimate images.
Alongside existing offences of sharing intimate images without consent, this will give law enforcement a holistic package of offences to effectively tackle non-consensual intimate image abuse.
Baroness Jones, Technology Minister, said: “The rise of intimate image abuse is a horrifying trend that exploits victims and perpetuates a toxic online culture. These acts are not just cowardly, they are deeply damaging, particularly for women and girls who are disproportionately targeted.
“With these new measures, we’re sending an unequivocal message: creating or sharing these vile images is not only unacceptable but criminal. Tech companies need to step up too – platforms hosting this content will face tougher scrutiny and significant penalties.”
Campaigner and presenter Jess Davies said: “Intimate-image abuse is a national emergency that is causing significant, long-lasting harm to women and girls who face a total loss of control over their digital footprint, at the hands of online misogyny.
“Women should not have to accept sexual harassment and abuse as a normal part of their online lives, we need urgent action and legislation to better protect women and girls from the mammoth scale of misogyny they are experiencing online.”
These new offences follow the Government’s action in September 2024 to add sharing intimate image offences as priority offences under the Online Safety Act. This put the onus on platforms to root out and remove this type of content – or face enforcement action from Ofcom.
The new offences will be included in the Westminster government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. Further details of the new offences will be set out in due course.
Further information:
The sexually explicit deepfakes offences will apply to images of adults. This is because the law already covers this behaviour where the image is of a child (under the age of 18).
It is already an offence to share or threaten to share intimate images, including deepfakes, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, following amendments that were made by the Online Safety Act 2023.
The Government will repeal two existing voyeurism offences that relate to the recording of a person doing a private act, and recording an image beneath a person’s clothing.
They will be replaced with a range of new offences:
Taking or recording an intimate photograph or film without consent or reasonable belief in it
Taking or recording an intimate photograph or film without consent and with intent to cause alarm, distress, or humiliation
Taking or recording an intimate photograph or film without consent or reasonable belief in it, and for the purpose of the sexual gratification of oneself or another
We will also introduce new offences that criminalise someone if they install or adapt, prepare or maintain equipment, and do so with the intent of enabling themselves or another to commit one of the three offences of taking an intimate image without consent.
How much should someone receive when they are off sick from work?
This is the question that ministers were considering over Christmas. And the answer they arrive at will have a huge impact on many households’ budgets (writes TUC’s TIM CLARK).
For the majority of workers today the answer to that question is straightforward: when they are ill they simply receive their normal salary for a period.
Others, particularly many low-paid workers get less-than-generous statutory sick pay (SSP), currently £116.75 a week, if they are ill. But this only kicks in from the fourth day of absence.
More than a million workers wouldn’t receive anything when absent because they earn too little to qualify under current rules. They are often part-time workers and are predominantly women.
This means many workers face hardship if they suffer illness or injury or risk spreading illness in their workplace by attending while sick.
This could change as ministers implement their promise that “no one should be forced to choose between their health and financial hardship”.
Measures in the Employment Rights Bill being considered by MPs will scrap the qualifying earnings test and sick pay will be paid from the first day of absence in future.
The options on the table
But how effective these changes will be rest on the percentage rate to be paid to low earners.
Among the options modelled was an SSP payment as low as 60 per cent of wages.
This would be the entitlement for the lowest paid 2.3 million workers,
Under the current proposals, this could lead to some 1.1 million workers who are currently entitled to full SSP eligible for less under the new system because they currently get full SSP, albeit at less than £117 a week.
The TUC is urging the government to ensure that workers receive the lower of their earnings or statutory sick pay. At the very least they should receive 95 per cent of pay to reflect the payments received by the lowest-earning workers who currently qualify for SSP.
For this is not a cold exercise in abstract numbers. There is a risk that some low earners could miss out the equivalent of a family’s food budget if ministers opt for lower pay-outs.
Scenarios set out below show the potential real-world impact of ministers’ decisions.
Scenario one
Rita works 10 hours a week (two hours a day) in an office canteen on the national minimum wage. Her partner is a sales assistant earning £25,000.
One weekend, Rita sprains her foot and is unable to work that week.
She has no access to occupational sick pay and currently would be unable to claim SSP as she earns under the lower earnings limit of £123 required to qualify. This means that the household income is cut by £114.40 a week.
She struggles to give her three children money for their daily school meals and out-of-school sports activities and has to use money set aside for the next energy bill.
Under the new system, if the rate is set on the basis of the lower amount of earnings or SSP she would receive £114.40.
However, a 60 per cent rate, one of the options modelled by the government in its latest consultation would mean she only receives £68.64. This cut of £45.76 is close to what a family spends on school meals for three children every week.
Scenario two
Sam is a single parent earning the national minimum wage at a food factory – working part time for nine hours Monday to Wednesday and gets paid weekly.
Sam catches a nasty cold and is unable to work Monday to Wednesday. She has no access to occupational sick pay, and, under the current system doesn’t earn enough to qualify for SSP.
She claims Universal Credit and by notifying the DWP about a drop in earnings in the next assessment period could receive a higher universal credit payment. But this wouldn’t be paid out for more than a month, leaving her immediate bills to pay.
But if payouts were the lowest of SSP and actual earnings Sam would have received £102.96 in wages.
This means that Sam and her two children would struggle to buy food that week, although they would be better off than currently.
Scenario three
Raj works two jobs. On Monday to Tuesday he works part time at a retail store for three hours a day. He works at a florist on Wednesday and Thursday for two hours.
This is to fit in with caring responsibilities for three children with his wife who works at the local biscuit factory from Monday to Friday (9-5pm). She earns slightly above the national minimum wage, and both Raj’s jobs are on the minimum wage.
Due to a car accident, he is unable to work for three months – this causes immense pressure on the family finances as during this period Raj receives no earnings.
If he received SSP based on his actual earnings this would have been £114.40 a week.
But at a 60 per cent rate he would receive £68.64 a week. This would mean that over the course of 12 weeks he would receive£549.12 less than if he was getting his normal earnings.
This is equivalent to almost two years’ worth of spending on clothes and footwear for a family in the lowest income decile at £5.60 a week.
Conclusion
The coronarvirus outbreak showed the dangers of an inadequate sick pay system.
Lots of frontline workers were forced to choose between falling into poverty because they got no or little sick pay, or continue to work and risk spreading the virus.
Four years on and many workers continue to face similar dilemmas every week.
The government is making the right choice in extending sick pay to all workers, without an income test.
But when ministers announce payouts for low-paid workers in the coming weeks, they should peg them to SSP or wages, whatever is the lower. And no-one should be entitled to less after the changes, than they are now.
Then the next stage will be ensuring that the headline rate of SSP is improved.
TOMORROW (Tuesday 7 January), the International Development Committee will question Anneliese Dodds, Minister for Development, on her priorities in office.
Upon being appointed, the Minister said she aimed to make the world a safer, more prosperous place and to unlock opportunity for everyone. The FCDO’s development mission would be to “create a world free from poverty on a liveable planet”.
Members are likely to ask the Minister how the Government will meet its ambitions with a reduced foreign aid budget, and whether concrete plans are yet in place to reduce spending foreign aid on refugees within the UK.
Members may also question the Minister on the UK’s humanitarian response to the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan. The UK’s foreign aid spending to support women and girls, and adaption and mitigations for climate change, may also be discussed.
Prior to the Minister’s appearance, MPs will also hear from the FCDO’s two Permanent Under-Secretaries, Sir Philip Barton and Nick Dyer, on the department’s accounts.
At 2.00pm in the Wilson Room, Portcullis House
From 2.00pm
Sir Philip Barton KCMG OBE, Board member and Permanent Under-Secretary
Nick Dyer, Second Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Westminster’sPublic Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) will hold the first public evidence session of their inquiry into the 2024 general election on 7 January.
The inquiry, which was launched by the Committee in December 2024, will review the administration, process and conduct of the most recent national election.
The Chair and Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission will answer questions on the Commission’s report evaluating the general election and May local elections.
The report, published in November of this year, highlighted ‘a number of significant improvements necessary to support participation and trust in future elections’.
The report references issues with postal voting, overseas voting, and intimidation of candidates and campaigners. The Committee are likely to explore the scale and context of these issues.
The Committee may also consider the Commission’s earlier report on the requirement for voter ID to be show for the first time at a UK general election. The Committee is also likely to build on previous committees work and consider the overall state of the UK’s electoral law and administration.
Online marketplaces and vape producers to pay for recycling and cleaning up of household electrical waste
Online marketplaces and vape producers will soon be paying their fair share towards the cost of recycling waste electricals, from toasters to vapes and hair curlers, levelling the playing field for UK retailers, Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh has announced.
Ensuring large online retailers pay their fair share is fairer for UK businesses who already pay to cover the costs of recycling. It comes as the government delivers on its Plan for Change, and reflects a further step in the government’s mission to boost growth.
The changes will also help fund recycling services and kick-start the country on the road to a circular economy, which is a priority for the Government.
Before now, UK-based firms were shouldering the majority of costs around collection and processing of electronic waste and operating at a disadvantage. With 100,000 tonnes of household electricals binned every year, the changes will for the first time make sure the burden of these costs does not unduly fall on UK based retailers compared to their online rivals.
Waste electricals are difficult to recycle – and represent a huge drain on resources, when they are not collected separately. Valuable metals – such as copper – are chucked away needlessly, while electrical components and chemicals can pose a health and safety risk to the waste industry.
In conjunction with this government’s wider actions to tackle waste and end the throwaway society, today’s announcement will help to ensure that businesses take responsibility for the huge quantities of waste that might otherwise end up being littered or fly-tipped, and support our efforts to protect the environment.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said: “Electrical equipment like vapes are being sold in the UK by producers who are failing to pay their fair share when recycling and reusing of dealing with old or broken items.
“Today we’re ending this: creating a level playing field for all producers of electronics, to ensure fairness and fund the cost of the treatment of waste electricals.
“As part of our Plan for Change, we are helping UK businesses compete and grow, and we continue to get more households recycling, cracking down on waste and ending the throwaway society.”
Alex Baldock, CEO at Currys, said:“We believe that if you sell something, this comes with a commitment to help keep it working, and then to recycle it responsibly when it reaches the end of its life. We continue to do everything we can to give tech a longer life, but there are many who don’t.
“We welcome the Government’s new measures to help level the playing field for responsibility for waste, making online marketplaces do their part. Low value, low quality and unsustainable tech is piling up in landfills, and it’s good to see Government doing something to tackle that.
“We’ll continue to work with them to help ensure our industry performs its important role in helping protect our planet and be a force for good.
Scott Butler, Executive Director at Material Focus, said: “We welcome the Government’s vital new reforms to the waste electrical regulations. FastTech items such as vapes, have swamped the UK market, with half a billion items bought in the past year alone. These small, cheap and too easily thrown away items contain valuable materials such as copper, gold, and lithium which are lost forever and could instead power our tech future.
“These changes to regulations will mean that online marketplaces, many of which are selling FastTech and other electricals, must take on their producer responsibilities and contribute their share of the costs of recycling them.
“Creating a separate category for vapes also means that those who have been profiting from the boom in their sales can be held responsible for providing public takeback, communications and most importantly pay for recycling them.”
Research from Material Focus estimates that British households incorrectly throw away over 100,000 tonnes of smaller household electrical items, such as kettles and lamps, every year. In addition, an estimated 880 million unwanted items containing valuable commodities such as gold and platinum, are abandoned or ignored in the back of the UK’s cupboards and drawers.
Under the plans, online marketplaces will need to register with the Environment Agency and report data on UK sales of their overseas sellers. This data will be used to calculate the financial contribution the online marketplace will make towards the costs of collection and treatment of waste electricals that are collected by local authorities and returned to retailers. The cost of that annual registration will be subject to a consultation led by the Environment Agency.
A new category of electrical equipment for vapes will also be introduced to ensure that the costs of collecting and treating vapes fall fairly on those who produce them.
Material Focus found almost 5 million vapes are either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK. Vapes are rarely designed with the end of life in mind and are difficult and time consuming to recycle, a cost that is not always being borne by those who produce them.
Acting on these important issues now will help address unfairness and deliver on our commitment to kick-start the push towards a circular economy.
UK Government action to end the throwaway society
To further deliver this, the UK Government has formed a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising of members from industry, academia, and civil society across the UK. They will lead on the development of a Circular Economy Strategy for England, which will be published next year outlining how individual sectors can contribute to ambitions in this area.
This is alongside plans to move forward with the implementation of the deposit return scheme for drinks containers and extended producer responsibility for packaging that will end the nation’s throwaway culture and stop the avalanche of rubbish that is filling up our high streets, countryside, and oceans.
These packaging reforms will collectively support 21,000 jobs, stimulate more than £10 billion investment in recycling capability during the next decade, and drive £1 billion worth of investment opportunities in plastics infrastructure.
Discussions between the UK Government and devolved governments on other proposals from the consultation will continue. Plans for wider reforms that reflect their strategic priorities in the drive towards a circular economy across the UK will be set out next year.
