AQW 38014/22-27 Written question to the Minister for Communities
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail the number of Carer’s Allowance overpayment cases that have resulted in (i) deductions from ongoing benefit; (ii) referral to his Department’s Debt Management Unit; and (iii) legal proceedings, in each year between 2015 and 2025.
Asked by Sian Mulholland MLA on 12 January 2026
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 12 January 2026
- Answer due by
- 27 January 2026
- Answered
- 21 January 20269 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for Communities
- Priority question
- No
Answer
(i) The information is not available in the format requested. Overpayments which have been fully repaid are archived and deleted from our systems, in line with GDPR and the Department’s Retention and Disposal Schedule. However, figures show that during December 2025, 1,990 individuals had a deduction from their benefit* to repay a Carer’s Allowance overpayment.
*this deduction could be from Carer’s Allowance or another benefit in payment
(ii) The table below shows the number of Carer’s Allowance overpayment cases referred to the Department’s Debt Management Unit for recovery in each year between 2015 and 2025.
| Recoverable Carer’s Allowance Overpayment cases referred to Debt Management * | |
| Financial Year | Volumes |
| 2015/16 | 1,959 |
| 2016/17 | 1,063 |
| 2017/18 | 987 |
| 2018/19 | 1,049 |
| 2019/20 | 1,639 |
| 2020/21 | 912 |
| 2021/22 | 2,278 |
| 2022/23 | 2,169 |
| 2023/24 | 2,067 |
| 2024/25 | 2,523 |
| 2025/26** | 2,945 |
| *The figures show the number of individual Carer’s Allowance overpayments referred during the relevant period. An individual may have more than one Carer’s Allowance overpayment. The figures do not include non-recoverable overpayments. **Apr - Dec 2025 inclusive | |
(iii) The information is not available in the format requested. Cases which have been fully repaid, including those subject to legal proceedings, are archived and deleted in line with GDPR and the Department’s Retention and Disposal Schedule. However, figures on 31st December 2025, show that 133 individuals have been subject to legal proceedings* to recover a Carer’s Allowance overpayment. An additional 236 individuals with a Carer’s Allowance overpayment have been subject to legal proceedings* in relation to benefit fraud.
*in the majority of these cases legal proceedings will have been initiated prior to December 2025.
The data provided in all answers above is taken from operational administrative systems and is not intended for publication. Therefore, the data itself is not quality assured to the standard of published Official Statistics.