Northern Ireland unpaid carers facing multi-million pound bill due to benefit overpayment

Unpaid carers in Northern Ireland are facing a multi-million pound bill due to benefit overpayments which "will push many into acute financial hardship".

Newly obtained data shows that between 2021 and 2024, there were around 6,500 carers allowance overpayment breaches referred to the Department for Communities debt management with a total value of £9,208,923.

Many carers have experienced similar issues in other parts of the UK.

"It's a shocking way to be treating people who are contributing so much to society and public services," said Craig Harrison from Carers NI.

"We knew this must be happening in Northern Ireland, but we didn't appreciate the scale on which it was happening," he added.

There are currently around 48,000 unpaid carers in Northern Ireland who provide at least 35 hours of care for a sick or disabled loved one.

Under carers allowance they can claim £81.90 per week.

"People are allowed to bring in a small amount of extra income and still keep their carers allowance payments, that earnings cap at the minute is £151 per week," Mr Harrison.

Based on the figures gathered through a Freedom Of Information request, Mr Harrison told UTV: "On average, each of the overpayment is close to £1,500 which is a significant chunk of what carers allowance is worth over the course of a whole year

"The rules around additional earnings in the carers allowance system are very complex and very opaque and so what these figures really raise a lot of big questions about why the department isn't identifying these overpayments when they are happening and stopping people from accumulating such enormous debts.

"The earning rules can be very difficult to stay on top of when you're already leading a life that is hectic due to unpaid caring.

"We're taking about people who are not only caring for loved ones which is a full on job themselves, but they're also going to work at the same time, so they're going to have very little time left at the end of each day to keep on top of very complex earnings rules.

"Without a doubt (repayment) will represent a very significant amount of money for many of these people and we can very easily predict which will lead a lot of them being pushed into acute financial hardship which has implications not just for them but their faimilies as well"

When asked if he believed the overpayments had been caused intentionally or inadvertently, Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew said: "The scale of it and the extent of it would suggest to me that this is as a result of a system that is not functioning properly.

"I think that is much more likely to be the case and i think thats the approach that needs ot be taken by the department and they need to engage with people in a way that sets out all of their rights," he added.

In a statement, the Department for Communities said: “Overpayments of Carers Allowance primarily occur when the Department is not updated on changes affecting a person’s entitlement. Where overpayment occurs due to Departmental error or delay, then the Department will not pursue recovery.

“The Department for Communities is fully committed to assisting people who are repaying an overpayment debt and experiencing financial difficulties by: waiving an overpayment debt in exceptional circumstances; offering tailored and affordable repayment plans; and by signposting people to independent debt advice.

“People can access this support by contacting the Department’s Debt Management team on 0800 587 1322. Further details for Debt Management can be found on https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/ contacts/debt-management- northern-ireland."

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