Carers ‘bullied’ by government as ministers try to ‘claw back’ losses, MPs warn

Carers are being bullied by the government as ministers try to “claw back” losses caused by their own administrative errors or honest mistakes by claimants, MPs have warned.

The department for work and pensions (DWP) has its priorities “all wrong” in penalising carers – when it should be recognising and supporting the “invaluable contribution” they make to society, a Commons committee said.

Last November, ministers announced they would demand repayments from tens of thousands of people receiving carer’s allowance – a benefit paid to those who care for people on disability benefit – because they said they had been overpaid in 2018 by amounts ranging from £67 to £48,560.

But the Work and Pensions Committee said it was wrong that a carer’s failure to report a rise in their earnings by as little as £1 over the threshold could see them forced to repay the full rate of £66.15 a week, and called on ministers to “completely reassess” its approach and consider writing off debts made due to its own administrative failures.

In one case, a person whose mother was last year diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s said they accidentally worked too many hours in their job. They were caring for their mother and son, who has a mental illness, on carer’s allowance, and were subsequently charged with fraud and given community service of 180 hours.

“I wasn’t aware that I’d done wrong until I was called for an interview at the job centre,” they told the committee.

“I was given community service of 180 hours’ unpaid work – as if I didn’t have enough to deal with. My son went into care because I couldn’t cope, and I have now had to give up work and care for mum.

“I had to move in with her and give up my home, my job, my life. I am now having to pay the money back. My own health has suffered, and my finances are rock bottom. I feel my life has been in a downward spiral and I haven’t been able to cope since.”

It is estimated that there are around 7 million carers in the UK – nearly one in eight adults – who make an unpaid contribution of £132bn to the UK economy every year.

Frank Field MP, chair of the committee, said: “Carers are damned if they do, damned if they don’t: penalised as soon as they earn even a pound over the threshold, and punished by the department’s own administrative failures and hopelessly outdated systems.

“The department sets itself no targets for tackling fraud and error for individual benefits, yet jumps on struggling carers for every honest mistake. 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? They have important work to do.”

A DWP spokesperson 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.”