- The UK Government has scrapped plans that would have allowed Department for Work and Pensions officials to directly inspect welfare claimants' bank accounts.
- Under Universal Credit rules, individuals with savings exceeding £16,000 are ineligible to claim unemployment benefits.
- The abandoned proposal, originally introduced to tackle fraud, was projected to save £200 million a year.
- A replacement scheme will see banks carry out checks on accounts after Universal Credit has been paid and report back to ministers.
- Reports suggest the new approach could lead to higher levels of benefit fraud going undetected.
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