The government is collecting only a tenth of the amount it should from confiscation orders according to a highly critical progress report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which says a lack of experienced financial investigators is undermining the regime designed to deprive criminals of the proceeds of their wrongdoing
The report states the number of confiscation orders imposed has fallen from an ‘unsatisfactory’ 6,392 in 2012–13 to 5,839 in 2015–16, even though over a hundred times as many offenders were convicted of a crime that year. It says opportunities to impose confiscation orders are still being missed.
The committee warns a fall in the numbers of experienced financial investigators risks weakening the enforcement of orders, while ‘poor information on performance and cost’ is hindering informed decisions about their use.
While the amount confiscated has increased from £133m in 2012–13 to £175m in 2015–16, PAC says efforts to collect what is due are failing on the basis of unaudited figures provided by the Home Office.
PAC’s report concluded: ‘Only £190m of the £1.9bn confiscation order debt can realistically be collected sending the wrong message to taxpayers, victims and criminals—that crime pays.’
A previous PAC report on this topic made six recommendations to improve the system, but this follow-up inquiry found ‘it is clear that many of the specific actions proposed…have not been taken.’
Among the recommendations in the latest report, the committee urges the Home Office to better explain ‘why so much of the accumulated debt is unlikely to be collected, highlight what is collected against recent confiscation orders, and set out how it is tackling uncollected debt to show that crime does not pay.’
By the end of September 2016, the Home Office should also set out clearly ‘how the objectives for confiscation orders should be prioritised and what constitutes success’.
Meg Hillier, chair of the PAC, said: ‘The number of orders imposed has fallen and, according to unaudited figures provided by the Home Office, only a tenth of the huge debt owed under such orders is realistically collectable.
‘This sends an appalling message to criminals who stand to benefit from crime—and, equally importantly, to their victims and taxpayers. Taxpayers will question whether devoting limited crime-fighting resources to the use of such orders is money well spent.’
The PA report, Confiscation orders: progress review is here.
