A document presented to politicians in 2021 detailed how carers -the majority on low incomes and spending 65 hours a week caring for loved ones - had endured financial hardship, stress and anger after being heavily penalised for falling foul of strict rules on carer's allowance eligibility.
Ministers at the Department for Work and Pensions sat on the report until this week when it was made public after repeated lobbying from campaigners and a series of Guardian reports into the carer's allowance scandal. Its release came as renewed political pressure was put on ministers to tackle longstanding problems with the benefits system.
Sir Stephen Timms, the chair of the Commons work and pensions committee, said: "The government has known for years about flaws that have plagued the payments system for carer's allowance but has just allowed many unpaid carers to unwittingly rack up unmanageable levels of debt."
The committee published an eight-page letter it sent to the welfare secretary, Mel Stride, asking the DWP to introduce wholesale reforms of the allowance to ensure carers "were no longer subjected to the distress that such overpayments can cause."
The report was commissioned by the DWP in 2019 after a parliamentary inquiry heavily criticised its failure to understand the human misery and hardship inflicted on tens of thousands of unpaid carers by its management of carer's allowance.
Although the report was finished in 2021, ministers repeatedly blocked its publication.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Money hacks How to get your finances ready for a new baby
Raising a child from birth to the age of 18 costs, on average, £166,000 for a couple, and £220,000 for a lone parent in 2023, according to Child Poverty Action Group's annual cost of a child report. Affordability is regularly cited by people who would like to have children as a key reason for holding off doing so.
Teachers' pensions 'I'm in despair as my debts mount'
Delays to pension pot valuations are 'causing huge distress' and costing money for divorcing couples. Rupert Jones reports
Property Homeowners face huge bills when leases expire
Those unaware of how the system works can be left stumping up thousands despite paying off a mortgage. Diane Taylor reports
Price shock Are you feeling better off now? Why US voters should, but may not, say yes
Are you feeling better off now? Why US Voters should, but may not, say yes
Retail sales growth slowed in September despite boost from technology spending
Sales growth in shops in Great Britain slowed last month as an increase in purchases of technology was tempered by the largest monthly fall in spending at supermarkets this year.
UK care home chain sold to US investment company
One of Britain's largest care home chains, Care UK, has been sold to a US property investment company, the Guardian can reveal, in a deal that comes as private providers lobby government for a greater role in the NHS.
Flatten or refashion Can new purpose be found for empty shopping centres?
In Bolton's town centre, the gap-toothed brutalist facade of Crompton Place shopping centre faces off against its majestic Victorian town hall.
Ex-spy for India charged with masterminding US murder plot
US authorities have charged a former Indian intelligence officer with allegedly masterminding a murder-for-hire plot against a prominent Sikh separatist in New York City last year.
Tomb finds at Petra are thrilling - but what do they really reveal?
For one of the most famous ancient sites on the planet, there is a surprising amount about the city of Petra - and the Nabataean people who built it - that we don't know for sure.
Enough already The Tokyo company that resigns for you
Mari was just two months into her new job when she decided she had had enough. The position at an online bank in Tokyo, found through a staffing agency, had looked like a perfect fit for the 25-year-old, a member of Japan's legions of temporary workers. But she quickly became despondent.
