Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's approach to recovering benefit overpayments where there has been no misrepresentation or failure to disclose a material fact.

The department maintains vigorous control of error via its Quality Assurance Framework, which provides an assurance that the necessary quality controls are in place.

The findings in the latest National Statistics publication (Financial Year Ending 2022) into Universal Credit (UC) show that UC Official Error overpayments have fallen in each of the last 3 years, from 2.1% of UC expenditure in 2018/19, to 0.7% in 2021/22.

Where overpayments do occur, legislation protects all claimants from excessive deductions. In Universal Credit, the overall deduction cap is set at 25% of the standard allowance, having been reduced from 40%.

We remain committed to working with anyone struggling with their repayment terms, and encourage them to contact DWP Debt Management to negotiate a reduction.