https://www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/publications/nothing-personal/
This report examines how central government departments collect debt.
In particular it focuses on how the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) recoups benefits overpayments – showing its approach to be more sudden and harsh than that of consumer creditors.
The research shows that 1.1 million people across the UK owe the DWP money that they have been overpaid in benefits, either due to DWP error or to changes in a person’s circumstances.
The DWP can forcibly take money from your income – something commercial lenders cannot do – through a deduction in monthly Universal Credit payments and with little warning. This results in serious financial and psychological harm for many people already struggling with mental health problems.