Grant Fraud
Hello,
I hope whoever is reading this is keeping well.
My name is Yohannes Lowe. This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please could you breakdown the following information from 1 March 2020 to 28 February 2021.
Please could the information be broken down concisely and as I have requested- in the most simple language/terms possible.
Q1) How many overpayments did your council identify for claims made as part of Covid-related government grant schemes it administered (for example, but not limited to: small business rates grant scheme; retail, hospital and leisure grant scheme) over the stated period?
1a) If such overpayments did occur, please could you tell me the total frequency of/ reasons for /such overpayment (for example, but not limited to: 'payment error', 'ineligible claim', 'fraudulent claim').
1aa) For each of these overpayments please can you state: the cost to the council of the overpayment amount (in £); how much of its total has been recovered (in £) as of the current date, and how much money (in £) is outstanding as of the current date.
So, for instance, taking the 'fraudulent claim' category as an example, your council may have made overpayments worth £300,000 for 30 fraudulent claims, recovered £25,000 for 2 of them as of the current date, meaning there is £275,000 outstanding for 28.
1b) In relation to the identified fraudulent claims, please can you break this information down in terms of what kind of fraud occurred (for example, but not limited to: 'organised fraud').
If you feel that a substantive response to this request is not possible within a reasonable time frame, or the request is too broad, I would be grateful if you could please contact me by email ([email address]) and provide assistance as to how I could refine the request.
Kind Regards,
Yohannes Lowe
Thank you for submitting a request for information. We will respond to
your request as quickly as possible, within the 20 working day statutory
deadline under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
For updates on this case, please quote your unique reference number
101001004872 .
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East Devon District Council
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Dear Mr Lowe,
Thank you for your FOI enquiry. Please see our response below.
Please could you breakdown the following information from 1 March 2020 to
28 February 2021.
Please could the information be broken down concisely and as I have
requested- in the most simple language/terms possible.
Q1) How many overpayments did your council identify for claims made as
part of Covid-related government grant schemes it administered (for
example, but not limited to: small business rates grant scheme; retail,
hospital and leisure grant scheme) over the stated period? - 10
1a) If such overpayments did occur, please could you tell me the total
frequency of/ reasons for /such overpayment (for example, but not limited
to: 'payment error', 'ineligible claim', 'fraudulent claim'). - All claims
were claimant error
1aa) For each of these overpayments please can you state: the cost to the
council of the overpayment amount (in £); how much of its total has been
recovered (in £) as of the current date, and how much money (in £) is
outstanding as of the current date. - 5 @ £10,000 fully recovered, 3 @
£10,000 - £0.0 has been recovered, 1 @ £10,000 - £1997.62 recovered and 1
@ £25,000 - £0.0 has been recovered. Therefore £115,000.00 claimed in
error of that £51,997.62 has been collected and £63,002.38 remains
outstanding.
So, for instance, taking the 'fraudulent claim' category as an example,
your council may have made overpayments worth £300,000 for 30 fraudulent
claims, recovered £25,000 for 2 of them as of the current date, meaning
there is £275,000 outstanding for 28.
1b) In relation to the identified fraudulent claims, please can you break
this information down in terms of what kind of fraud occurred (for
example, but not limited to: 'organised fraud'). - N/A
I hope this information is helpful but, if you feel dissatisfied with the
way we have responded to your request, please contact our Monitoring
Officer, Mr Henry Gordon Lennox, to request an internal review
[email address]
You may also approach the Information Commissioner for advice at
[1]www.ico.org.uk
Yours sincerely,
Sara
Ms S Harvey
Information and Complaints Officer
East Devon District Council
[2][email address]
01395 571659
[3]www.eastdevon.gov.uk
Follow us on [4]Facebook and [5]Twitter
[6]Subscribe to your East Devon Update for regular news and information
about what’s happening at East Devon District Council. Choose which topics
you’re interested in to get a personalised update.
[7]Email disclaimer
References
Visible links
1. http://www.ico.org.uk/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/
4. http://www.facebook.com/eastdevon
5. http://twitter.com/eastdevon
6. https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/...
7. http://eastdevon.gov.uk/help/email-discl...
Hello, thanks very much for the response to my FOI Request (101001004872). It is much appreciated. Would you please be so kind to tell me what exactly "claimant error" means in this context as well as telling me the names of the government grants the 10 listed overpayments were paid in relation to.
Best,
Yohannes
Dear Ms Lowe,
Thank you for your email.
This is what the guidance gave as the difference between fraud and
claimant error/non-compliance:
Non-compliance is a failure or refusal to comply with a rule, wish,
command, contract or law. Unlike fraud where a dishonest intention must be
proved, non-compliance can also include negligence. Of the grants that
have been paid out, any that have been identified as non-compliant in line
with the grant scheme guidance, their total value should be recorded in
these fields.
The two grants were the Small Business Rates Relief Grant and the Retail
Hospitality & Leisure Grant.
I hope this response has been helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Sara
Ms S Harvey
Information and Complaints Officer
East Devon District Council
[1][email address]
01395 571659
[2]www.eastdevon.gov.uk
From: Yohannes Lowe <[FOI #736363 email]>
Sent: 18 March 2021 12:11
To: FOI EDDC <[East Devon District Council request email]>
Subject: Re: EDDC Response to your FOI enquiry - Andrew Staines
Hello, thanks very much for the response to my FOI Request (101001004872).
It is much appreciated. Would you please be so kind to tell me what
exactly "claimant error" means in this context as well as telling me the
names of the government grants the 10 listed overpayments were paid in
relation to.
Best,
Yohannes
Hello Ms Harvey,Thanks so much for this reply to my request (101001004872)- it is really helpful. Finally, may you please tell me how many of the 10 claimant error overpayments were for the Small Business Rates Relief Grant and how many were for the Retail Hospitality & Leisure Grant.
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