Unprecedented changes for carers as UK Government responds to Carer’s Allowance overpayments review recommendations
- UK Government has said it will reassess cases dating back to 2015.
- Where averaging of earnings payments could have been lower, the UK Government will repay or write off debt, including where money has been repaid in full.
- Carers UK’s work vindicated
- Carers NI call on Gordon Lyons to act
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK said: “It’s a landmark day today for the carers’ movement now that the Government has responded to the independent review of overpayments by Liz Sayce OBE.
“The move to reassess cases and repay or write off debt in certain circumstances is unprecedented in our view, a righting of a clear wrong. It is addressing this injustice head on.
“We have raised this scandal of overpayments since 2018, repeatedly highlighting a catalogue of issues faced by carers which caused huge emotional and financial distress and immense hardship for some.
“This Government acted quickly, agreeing to a visit with Carers UK and carers within weeks of coming to power for us to present our dossier of hundreds of carers’ experiences to Ministers and now has taken decisive action to redress many of the issues outlined.
“It’s absolutely right that the Government has taken the bold move of owning up to the mistakes of the DWP, which it largely inherited from the last Government.
“Liz Sayce OBE, who led the Independent Review, has really listened to us and to unpaid carers, and delivered an incredibly detailed report.
“We also want to pay tribute to the work that the Guardian and other media outlets have done in bringing this issue to public attention.
“Of course there will be an immense amount of detail to look through and digest, but we are hopeful that this can be the start of rebuilding carers’ trust in the system.
“Also, we hope it is a positive indication that the door is open for further change – including longer-term reforms for Carer’s Allowance to ensure it better supports unpaid carers who balance paid work alongside their caring responsibilities.”
Joleen Cunningham, Public Affairs and Resource Manager for Carers NI said: “Today’s response from the UK government to the Independent Review of Carer’s Allowance Overpayments will impact thousands of carers here in Northern Ireland and we very much welcome it.
“We urge the communities minister to consider the report and to set out his Department’s Response and to outline what actions he will take.
“We call on the Department for Communities to act swiftly to put right the wrongs that NI carers have suffered as a result of this.”
