Carer’s Allowance overpayments review announced

Following a campaign by Carers UK regarding the Carer’s Allowance overpayments scandal, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall MP, has announced that the Government will commission an ‘open and transparent’ independent review. This review aims to understand how these overpayments occurred on such a large scale, how they can be prevented, and how the experience of receiving an overpayment can be improved. The review will be led by Liz Sayce, the former chief executive of Disability Rights UK.

In July, Carers UK released a report highlighting the experiences of 138 carers who had received overpayments. They also facilitated a meeting between a group of carers and the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms MP, to convey the significant stress these overpayments caused.

Carers UK has outlined several key areas for the independent review to address, including meeting with carers who have experienced overpayments. They will keep their networks informed of any developments and suggest gathering local case studies of overpayments in preparation for the review.

The Guardian, which has been actively campaigning on this issue, also published new evidence from Carers UK showing that 41% of carers on Carer’s Allowance had to quit their jobs due to the earnings limit.

For more details, you can read Carers UK’s statement on the review.