Civil servants wrongly pay out £512m to dead people since 2019

Shocking waste of taxpayers' money

Civil servants have mistakenly paid out a staggering £512 million to deceased individuals since 2019, according to recent statistics. The amount includes £159 million from last year alone, with less than half of the sum successfully recovered. The remaining £257 million could have covered Winter Fuel Payments for 1.3 million pensioners.

Call for transparency and accountability

Reform MP Rupert Lowe, who brought these figures to light through a parliamentary question, expressed outrage at the situation. He criticized the government's handling of taxpayers' money and called for stricter measures to combat fraud and misuse. Lowe emphasized the importance of transparent data to fully understand the extent of such financial waste.

Government response and recovery efforts

The Department for Work and Pensions, in response to the inquiry, revealed that these erroneous payments accounted for just 0.1% of total pension spending. Pensions Minister Andrew Western explained that while the funds are not legally enforceable to be returned, efforts are made to recover the money through voluntary repayments. Approximately half of the overpayments have been reclaimed to prevent further burden on taxpayers.