Address

Finance and Commercial

CD Communications Team
Ground Floor
Quarry House
Quarry Hill
Leeds
LS2 7UA

Email:

official.correspondence@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Website

www.dwp.gov.uk

Date

10 December 2012

Richard Cookson
Reply via email

Dear Mr Cookson,
Freedom of Information Act Request for Information
Our Reference: FOI 4290
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request received on 14 November 2012. You
asked:
Specifically, I would like to know for each year since 1 January 2007 to the present day:
How much benefit was wrongly paid to people in prison
How many claimants were involved
How much has been reclaimed
What types of benefits were involved

For the years requested, the volumes and values of overpayments referred to Debt
Management from the benefit paying businesses within the Department for Work and
Pensions where the reason for the overpayment is in prison are as follows:
Financial Year
2006/2007
2007/2008
2008/2009
2009/2010
2010/2011
2011/2012
2012/2013*

Volumes Of New Debt

16,131
17,217
16,407
15,948
15,478
14,649
4,688
Sum:

100,518

Financial Year
2006/2007
2007/2008
2008/2009
2009/2010
2010/2011
2011/2012
2012/2013 YTD*

Value of New Debts

8,299,735.27
8,779,652.79
8,735,445.58
7,673,579.40
7,134,015.77
6,524,670.59
2,557,961.55

The value of the new debt is the amount of benefit identified as being overpaid.
For details of the amounts recovered and the types of benefits involved please see the
spreadsheet in annex 1.
Please note that the value of the overpayments recovered in a particular year will not relate
only to the overpayments recorded in that year. Some of the money recovered could relate
to overpayments recorded in earlier financial years.
In July 2012 the Department centralised the function of how it is notified that a customer
has been admitted into prison. This new process should result in a reduction of
overpayments to prisoners.
If you have any queries about this letter please contact Dean Francis on 0113 232 4095
quoting the reference number above.
Yours sincerely

Communications Team
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Your right to complain under the Freedom of Information Act
If you are not happy with this response you may request an internal review by e-mailing freedom-ofinformation-request@dwp.gsi.gov.uk or by writing to DWP, Central FoI Team, 2nd Floor The Adelphi, 1-11,
John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HT. Any review request should be submitted within two months of the
date of this letter.
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you may apply directly to the Information
Commissioners Office for a decision. Generally the Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have
exhausted our own complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The
Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF
www.ico.gov.uk

Annex 1
Value of Recoveries on debts with an Overpayment Reason of 'In Prison' for 2006/07 to date
Benefit Type
Attendance Allowance
Administrative Penalty

2006/2007
662

487

173

12

Disability Living Allowance:Care Compnt

2008/2009

2009/2010

2010/2011

2011/2012

2012/2013*

1,273

8,125

4,897

6,773

2,824

180

146

39

689

-425

234

22,889

51,782

60,952

59,157

80,589

103,266

51,955

Bereavement Allowance
Carers Allowance

2007/2008

191

44,305

166,849

289,237

436,537

550,404

323,632

Disability Living Allowance - Care / Mob

88,283

102,699

75,778

85,842

93,984

88,939

48,587

Disability Living Allowance:Mobility Com

3,203

7,439

19,596

18,207

25,275

29,646

17,662

Employment & Support Allce:Contrib Based

2,300

12,186

34,851

23,626

Employment & Support Allce: Incme Relatd

18,901

145,787

370,776

314,909

Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allownc

292

Incapacity Benefit
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Income Support
Jobseeker's Allowance:Contribution Based

159

156,630

247,095

321,561

419,374

438,925

478,128

255,343

70

397

705

1,446

1,517

3,408

2,464

815,486

1,659,309

1,982,070

2,338,607

2,396,962

2,317,087

1,190,379

411

870

1,489

3,148

2,816

3,667

1,809

Jobseeker's Allowance: Income Based

22,410

40,408

42,705

62,288

72,189

79,605

44,594

Pension Credit

23,017

65,491

75,676

92,335

127,337

166,186

97,839

Retirement Allowance
Reduced Earnings Allowance
Retirement Pension:Contributory
Severe Disablement Allowance

11
650

2,159

1,830

1,371

533

2,455

1,093

60,037

82,867

125,185

114,684

139,597

177,479

135,806

3,019

6,215

8,376

17,377

14,135

17,035

14,012

110

294

326

145

Widowed Mother's Allowance

359

Widows Pension

166

25

402

140

839

1,015

478

Widowed Parent's Allowance

54

285

860

2,345

1,700

4,740

Christmas Bonus (Contributory)

40

40

60

10

70

Christmas Bonus (Non Contributory)

10

10

20

1,197,656

2,311,841

2,885,035

3,534,104

3,997,139

4,432,331

2,532,372