MPs today call for the Tory government stop “bullying” unpaid carers and write off huge debts it is forcing them to pay back.
A cross-party committee said Carers Allowance debts should be reconsidered on a “case by case basis” to see whether they are still “worth pursuing”.
Welfare chiefs should begin with debts higher than £2,500 each and factor in culpability, the cost of recouping the overpayments and the impact on carers’ lives, the MPs added.
MPs issued their report after Carer’s Allowance was handed to tens of thousands of carers that did not qualify for it.
The £66.15-a-week fund is only for carers who earn less than £123 a week, but campaigners say the rules were unclear.
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
Now officials are clawing back huge sums from the elderly and vulnerable after spotting problems too late.
Some carers built up debts of more than £20,000 by the time 93,000 overpayments were detected in 2018/19.
Commons Work and Pensions Committee chairman Frank Field blamed the issue on “administrative failures and hopelessly outdated systems” adding: “The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has got its priorities all wrong.
“Bullying carers is no way to recognise, much less support, the invaluable contribution they make to our society and the people they care for, or the hundreds of billions of pounds they save the taxpayer.
“Will the Government now please get off the back of carers?”
(Image: PA)
Carers UK director Emily Holzhausen said carers hit by the issue “are experiencing considerable stress and anxiety”.
She said the DWP “must urgently consider writing off overpayments” where it should have spotted the problem earlier.
“The current design of Carer’s Allowance places a huge administrative burden on carers and causes a lot of confusion,” she said.
“Carers need a solution to the sharp cliff edge of the earnings threshold that currently means their earning even £1 over the threshold sees a 100% loss of benefit.
“The DWP must introduce a simpler way for carers to track and report their earnings.”
DWP officials said they will examine the MPs’ report in detail and consider further changes.
A DWP spokeswoman said: “We value the vitally important role carers play in our society and since 2010 we’ve increased Carer’s Allowance so they now receive an extra £635 a year.
“We have made significant progress in addressing Carer’s Allowance overpayments.
“While we have a duty to the taxpayer to recover money in cases of fraud or error, safeguards are in place to ensure deductions are reasonable.”
