Stephen Timms 766 subscribers 89,832 views Nov 30, 2023 Yesterday, 29 November 2023, Parliament debated the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill. The Government proposed two new amendments (New Clause 34 and New Schedule 1) to give it the power to inspect the bank accounts of people claiming social security, such as benefits or the state pension. The Government’s argument is that this will allow them to reduce fraud and error in the social security system. However, the powers are wide-ranging and do not have clear safeguards. The Government also only admitted that the powers allowed them to inspect the accounts of those who could receive the State Pension (i.e., almost everyone) after being questioned in Parliament.