The Public Audit Committee looks at reports published by Audit Scotland to examine whether public money is being spent efficiently and effectively.
On 19 August 2026, Audit Scotland published the report The National Fraud Initiative in Scotland 2026.
The report says “A data matching exercise has detected fraud and error with an estimated value of almost £22 million across Scotland’s public sector. The National Fraud Initiative helps prevent fraud and error by cross-checking public bodies’ data sets such as payroll records, electoral registers, and housing benefit claims. If a match is identified it can then be reviewed and investigated.”