UK spying bank accounts: Eligibility Verification Measure

not quite, it specifically says:

• limited to certain benefits – An Eligibility Verification Notice can only request information about accounts in receipt of the specified benefits set out in legislation. These are Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Employment and Support Allowance. If the Secretary of State wishes to expand the range of benefits covered, it will require a debate and approval by Parliament. This is except for the State Pension which is excluded from being added by the legislation.

No, the fact sheet never mentions the words: “means tested”

It’s not clear, as you can see they can investigate bank accounts in receipt of other benefits just by approval by parliament with no need for legislation.
this is just another step for mass surveillance set out by the government following the online safety act, the freedom of speech restrictions and by digital ID.
Checking bank accounts law should be abolished, unless we want to be ruled by an authoritarian regime which is where we are heading.

Mass surveillance set in the name of security when you have the grooming gangs scandal, which happened not because we haven’t got enough surveillance, but because public institutions failed the victims.

We don’t need more surveillance or authoritarian laws, we need a decent political class and a decent civil service. That’s were the surveillance should start with if anywhere.

thank you

Will have a read through in the coming days.

However, as per quick glance, no mention of the wording “means tested benefits” in there, nor of IRESA but Employment support allowance as a general term. So, legally they could send this eligibility verification to anyone on CBESA.

no exact wording on what exactly these Eligibility verification requests will be requesting either. What parameters etc

And it also leaves the door open for other benefits to be added in a very simple way.

I don’t think is as straightforward as you think it is.

as per what I’ve read, there is nowhere written in the proposed bill “backdating” bank checks

Only applies to current claimants, I think.

That’s what I understand by reading point 76 of the doc shared by @MW123

it probably will, however it’s unclear cause they arent stating what exactly are the Eligibility Verification Notices going to ask for.

However, if it gets flagged, the draft law it’s very clear that then your details will be passed on to a human being who will check your account etc.

hi

Reading through the draft law, my understanding is that banks won’t be doing checks automatically, but it would be the DWP sending Eligibility Verification Notices to the bank. Then the bank will check the account and send back the info requested by DWP.