Launch of consultation on the effectiveness of the Digital Economy Act 2017 debt and fraud powers

Statement by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State for the Cabinet Office

Minister Burghart and I are pleased to announce the launch of a consultation on the effectiveness of the Digital Economy Act 2017 Debt and Fraud Powers.

The Debt and Fraud Powers, as contained in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 respectively, allow specified public authorities to disclose information for the purpose of managing and reducing debt owed to a public authority or to the Crown and combating fraud against the Public Sector.

These Powers must be reviewed, three years after their operation, for the purpose of deciding whether they should be retained, amended or repealed. As part of this Review, I am required to consult certain persons and publish a report on the Review’s outcomes.

As part of this consultation, I shall engage with:

• the Information Commissioner,

• the Scottish Ministers,

• the Welsh Ministers,

• the Department of Finance in Northern Ireland,

• members of the Home Affairs Committee,

• bodies which have used the Debt and Fraud Powers of the Digital Economy Act 2017 and

• members of the Digital Economy Act Debt and Fraud Information Sharing Review Board.

The Consultation is now open and will last for a period of six weeks ending on 27th April 2023.