DWP permanent secretary to step down after carer’s allowance scandal

Sir Peter Schofield, the permanent secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), will step down in July after holding the position since 2018. His departure follows increasing scrutiny of the DWP's handling of the carer's allowance scandal, where thousands of unpaid carers faced overpayment bills and, in some cases, fraud convictions due to systemic failures. A government review blamed DWP leadership, poor benefit design, and flawed guidance for the issues, with critics citing a lack of organizational curiosity about the impact on carers. While the DWP insists Schofield's departure is unrelated to the criticism, it comes after he pledged to fix the carer's allowance in 2019, yet the problems persisted. Schofield cited personal reasons for his departure, highlighting the expansion of Universal Credit and the department's response to the pandemic as achievements during his tenure.

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