GettyAlmost 5,000 unpaid carers in Northern Ireland are having overpayments of the Carer’s Allowance recovered from them, figures have shown.
Carers NI said 9m of overpayments have been referred to the Department for Communities (DfC) Debt Management branch since 2021.
A DfC spokesperson said that overpayments of Carer’s Allowance occur when the department is not updated on changes affecting a persons entitlement.
When an overpayment happens because of a departmental error or delay, then the department will not pursue recovery, the DfC said.
The figures come in response to an Assembly question from Assembly member Colm Gildernew, where the Department for Communities confirmed “there are currently 4,969 individuals who have Care…
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