Member

Clause 7 and Schedule 1 are codependent: both parts are necessary to give the PSFA the PACE powers sought, which are key to the future effectiveness of the PSFA. For example, these powers will enable the PSFA to execute a search warrant to secure business records that help to prove that a business was not entitled to a government grant. They will give authorised investigators the power to seize a laptop or mobile phone that could hold incriminating correspondence that helps to prove who was involved in a conspiracy to defraud a public authority; and the power to apply to the court to gain access to excluded or special procedure material—material that is rightly subject to additional safeguards but could be the key to unlocking an investigation into a government department that has been defrauded out of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money.