“Those bureaucrats in charge of the DWP, and specifically pension payments, should be hauled in front of Parliament to explain this outrageous waste” says MP Rupert Lowe.
Shocking new figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reveal that a staggering £159.2 million in state pensions and pension credit has been paid to deceased recipients in the financial year 2023/24.
Even more galling, only £73.2 million of this was voluntarily repaid.
This is not an isolated issue—it’s part of a growing trend. Back in 2019/20, £80.4 million was overpaid to deceased individuals, with just £47.3 million recovered. The scale of the waste has almost doubled in just four years, raising serious questions about how such failures continue to happen on the public’s dime.
Labour Minister’s Flimsy Excuses
In response to questions from Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe, a DWP minister attempted to downplay the fiasco, claiming:
“Direct payments made into an account after the death of a customer represent only around 0.1% of total annual expenditure on pensions.”
This is hardly a consolation for taxpayers, who are left footing the bill for a problem that should never have arisen. The payments, according to the minister, are treated as “non-recoverable” by law. While the government can request repayment, it is entirely voluntary.
The question many are asking is: why? Why is taxpayer money being handled so carelessly, and why is the DWP so toothless when it comes to recovering funds that never should have been paid in the first place?
Labour’s Likely Refrain
Labour will undoubtedly seize this opportunity to point the finger at the Conservatives, claiming that this waste occurred on their watch. While technically true, it overlooks a critical factor: it is civil servants who organise and oversee these payments.
The real question is whether civil servants:
(a) Inform ministers about the wastage; or
(b) Give ministers any hint whatsoever that this is an issue requiring investigation?
Based on this continued fiasco, the answer appears to be “no.” Ministers can hardly take decisive action if the bureaucrats running the systems either don’t highlight the issue or fail to present it as something that needs urgent attention. This is yet another case of the civil service failing to uphold its duty to taxpayers.
A System Out of Control
The sheer scale of the waste and the lack of accountability have left many incensed. The idea that nearly £160 million could be paid to deceased individuals in just one year is shocking enough, but the growing size of the problem is even more troubling.
Rupert Lowe MP has branded the situation a “scandal” and called for those responsible to be held to account. “This simply would not be tolerated in the private sector,” he said. “Heads would roll, rightly so. Bureaucrats in charge of pension payments at the DWP should be hauled in front of Parliament to explain this outrageous waste.”
The fact that overpayments have nearly doubled in four years raises questions about the efficiency of the DWP and the systems in place to prevent such mistakes. Why is the problem escalating so rapidly?
Critics point to a lack of joined-up thinking within the public sector. With modern technology and a host of data-sharing capabilities at the government’s disposal, how is it possible that such a glaring issue persists—and grows?
A Call for Action
This level of waste is an insult to taxpayers who are already grappling with the pressures of a cost-of-living crisis. It suggests a cavalier attitude towards public money within the DWP.
When private sector firms make mistakes on this scale, swift action is taken, accountability is enforced, and changes are implemented. Yet in the public sector, such waste often seems to be dismissed as a mere rounding error.
If the DWP cannot enforce the recovery of overpaid pensions, then it’s time for Parliament to step in and change the rules. Taxpayer money must be treated with the respect it deserves.
The public has a right to demand better. After all, it’s their money being squandered—money that could be funding vital services, supporting the NHS, or cutting taxes. Instead, it’s lining the bank accounts of the deceased, with no meaningful effort to claw it back.
This is more than just incompetence—it’s a systemic failure that demands immediate action. Britain deserves answers. And taxpayers deserve accountability.
