Key facts
- Only 2,400 of an estimated 230,900 carer's allowance cases have been reviewed in the first five months of a three-year reassessment scheme.
- Just 100 carers have received a total of £40,000 in repayments, averaging £342 each.
- Campaigners warn that at current rates, the exercise could take 40 years to complete.
- The DWP aims to complete the reassessment by March 2029 and plans to increase staff to 250.
- The issue stems from DWP officials changing guidance in 2020, preventing carers with irregular wages from averaging incomes over a year.
Campaigners have urged government intervention as official figures reveal a slow start to the repayment of tens of thousands of unpaid carers who were unlawfully charged benefit debts. The Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) reassessment exercise, launched in April, has reviewed only 2,400 of an estimated 230,900 cases in its first five months. Of these, just 100 carers have received a total of £40,000, averaging £342 each, while another 100 saw their debt reduced by £20,000.
Campaigners described the progress as "deeply disappointing," warning that at the current pace, the exercise could take around 40 years to complete. Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, stated that the majority of carers still face a "lengthy and uncertain wait for resolution" and questioned whether the DWP is on track to deliver within the allocated three-year period and £75 million budget.
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, called for the prime minister to expedite the process, stating that the failure to rectify the situation is becoming a scandal in itself. The DWP, however, maintains it is prioritizing accuracy over speed and is confident of completing the reassessment by its March 2029 deadline. The department plans to increase the number of staff involved in the project from its current level to 250 by next April.
The reassessment follows a review by disability rights expert Liz Sayce, which found systemic DWP shortcomings led to hundreds of thousands of carers accumulating benefit debts, some as high as £20,000. The issue arose in 2020 when DWP officials altered guidance, preventing carers with irregular wages from averaging their incomes over a year, thus unfairly penalizing them for exceeding earnings limits.