Ministry of Defence accused of failing to tackle normalisation of fraud'

The Ministry of Defence is failing to address an apparent normalisation of fraud within its operations, with an estimated £1.5 billion lost each year. A Commons Public Accounts Committee report calls for a change of culture to tackle the department’s significant fraud risk. The MoD recovers only 48p for every £1 spent on combating fraud and economic crime, which is far below the government target of £3 recovered for every £1. The committee also questions the MoD’s own £1.5 billion annual fraud estimate, describing it as unreliable. The report suggests the department lacks a credible understanding of potential losses and is not preventing the loss of public funds effectively.

"The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is failing to adequately tackle what an influential parliamentary committee has branded the "apparent normalisation of fraud" within its operations, with an estimated 1.5 billion lost annually. In a scathing report published on Friday, the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) called for a "change of culture" to address the MoD's significant fraud risk."

"The committee revealed the department recovers a mere 48p for every 1 spent on combating fraud and economic crime, falling far short of the government's target of 3 for every 1 recovered. The PAC also cast doubt on the MoD's own 1.5 billion annual fraud estimate, deeming it unreliable and suggesting the department lacks a "credible understanding" of its potential losses."

"Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the PAC, criticised the department, stating it was "far behind the curve in preventing the loss of precious public funds which could be spent on keepi"

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