Neil Couling

Neil Couling is the Director General of DWP services, a senior civil servant within the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). He is currently newsworthy due to the ongoing carer's allowance scandal, where many unpaid carers have unknowingly accrued significant benefit debts. Recent articles highlight criticism of the DWP's handling of the situation. Debbie Abrahams, chair of the work and pensions select committee, has accused the DWP, implicitly including Couling in his senior role, of a "culture of complacency" and failing to prioritize vulnerable individuals. Furthermore, Prof Liz Sayce's review pointed to DWP system and leadership failures as the root cause. Adding to the controversy, Couling himself is reported to have blamed the victims, stating that individual failings by carers were "at the heart" of the issue, a position that has drawn further criticism and intensified calls for a management and cultural overhaul within the DWP to restore public trust.