Fury after civil servants wrongly paid out massive nine-figure sum to dead people since 2019

CIVIL servants have wrongly paid out £512million to dead people since 2019, stats show.

The huge sum in pensions and pension credits included £159million last year alone.

Less than half has been recovered — with the missing £257million enough to cover Winter Fuel Payments for 1.3million pensioners.

Reform MP Rupert Lowe, who uncovered the figures through a parliamentary question, hit out: “This is a shocking waste that underlines the contempt with which the Government treats taxpayers’ money.

"Why is it tolerated? Why is the return of this money not enforceable?

“This is wide open to fraud and abuse. It needs to be clamped down on as part of a wider Government effort to slash down on misspending.

"We must keep pushing for transparent data to uncover the true extent of the waste.”

Pension credit is paid in advance for those on the old state pension system, while state pensions and pension credit under the newer system are paid after the entitlement period.

This means payments often continue even after someone has died.

In response to Mr Lowe’s question, the Department for Work and Pensions admitted the payments made up just 0.1 per cent of pension spending and said they could only ask for voluntary repayment.

Pensions minister Andrew Western added: “Although these are treated as non-recoverable and are not enforceable by law, we can request the money back as a voluntary payment.

"So far, we have recovered around half of the overpayments, to avoid this becoming a long-term cost to the taxpayer.”