UK ministers promise ‘new settlement’ for carers amid allowance scandal

Exclusive: Government to set out details of review into benefit overpayments and how problems can be fixed

The UK government has promised a “new settlement” for unpaid carers, vowing to put an end to the scandal of carer benefit overpayments that has left hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in huge debt and in some cases facing prosecution.

Ministers are expected to announce the details of an independent review of carer’s allowance, the main benefit for carers, on Monday. The review will look at why the overpayments happened and how the problems can be fixed.