Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers have Carer’s Allowance overpayment debts as a result of breaching the earnings limit in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in the last six years for which data is available.

Data on fraud and error overpayments is published annually and can be found using the following link: Fraud and error in the benefit system - GOV.UK. 2024/25 estimates show that Carer's Allowance Overpayments relating to earnings / employment represented 1.3% of the £4.2bn expenditure on Carer’s Allowance.

Further breakdowns, as requested in the above PQs, are not published as part of any official statistical release.

This Government commissioned Liz Sayce OBE to lead an Independent Review into Carer’s Allowance Overpayments. We are carefully considering the recommendations of this Review which investigated how they occurred, how we can best support those who have accrued them, and how to reduce the risk of them occurring in future. We have committed to publish the review and the Government’s response to it by the end of this year.