Davey on carers overpayment scandal: Carers continue to be punished by a broken system

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The Department for Work and Pensions has today announced plans to increase staff numbers, to ensure carers are notified if they are at risk of falling into debt as a result of an overpayment. 

Some carers have been forced to pay back thousands of pounds after being overpaid for years, despite the government having an internal system that flags potential cases as they arise. However, the Government is still refusing to write off overpayments for carers caught up in the scandal.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“It is totally unacceptable that more and more carers are being caught up in this scandal, so long after it was exposed.

“The Government has effectively admitted that the system is broken, but is still punishing carers instead of fixing it. That’s just not right.

“I will keep urging Ministers to think again, write off these overpayments and pause demands for new repayments until the review has finished and the system has been fixed.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Reporting can be found here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/15/dwp-overhaul-carers-allowance-checks-overpayment-scandal