CPAG appealed against a refusal of a declaration that the respondent could use only the 1992 Act to recover overpayment of benefits where there had been neither misrepresentation nor non-disclosure.
Held: The appeal succeeded, and the court made a declaration that: ‘where a benefit falling within section 71(11) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 is paid pursuant to the machinery contained in Part I Chapter II of the Social Security Act 1998, it can only be reclaimed from the claimant under section 71 of that Act (or some other specific statutory provision).’
There was no common law power which the respondent could rely upon to make recovery of overpayments in such a situation. The respondent could not use the law of restitution to recover accidental overpayments. The 1992 Act stated all the circumstances in which recovery could be made.
Judges:
Sedley LJ, Lloyd LJ, Wilson LJ
Citations:
[2009] EWCA Civ 1058, Times 21-Oct-2009, [2010] 1 WLR 1886
Links:
Statutes:
Social Security Administration Act 1992 71(1)
Jurisdiction:
England and Wales
Citing:
Appeal from – Child Poverty Action Group, Regina (on the Application of) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Admn 27-Feb-2009
Challenge to defendant’s practice in seeking recovery of overpayments.
Held: The court refused to grant a declaration that the respondent could not use common law or equitable powers to recover over-payment of benefits where the payee had . .
Cited – Attorney General v De Keyser’s Royal Hotel Ltd HL 10-May-1920
A hotel had been requisitioned during the war for defence purposes. The owner claimed compensation. The AG argued that the liability to pay compensation had been displaced by statute giving the Crown the necessary powers.
Held: There is an . .
Cited – Total Network Sl v Revenue and Customs HL 12-Mar-2008
The House was asked whether an action for unlawful means conspiracy was available against a participant in a missing trader intra-community, or carousel, fraud. The company appealed a finding of liability saying that the VAT Act and Regulations . .
Cited – Monro v HM Revenue and Customs CA 9-Apr-2008
The Commissioners conceded that, in principle, there could be a common law right to recover sums paid by way of tax under a mistake of law, but argued that such a claim was precluded because it would be inconsistent with the statutory scheme under . .
Cited – Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Plc v Inland Revenue and Another HL 25-Oct-2006
The tax payer had overpaid Advance Corporation Tax under an error of law. It sought repayment. The revenue contended that the claim was time barred.
Held: The claim was in restitution, and the limitation period began to run from the date when . .
Cited – Woolwich Equitable Building Society v Inland Revenue Commissioners (2) HL 20-Jul-1992
The society had set out to assert that regulations were unlawful in creating a double taxation. It paid money on account of the tax demanded. It won and recovered the sums paid, but the revenue refused to pay any interest accrued on the sums paid. . .
Cited by:
Appeal from – The Child Poverty Action Group v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions SC 8-Dec-2010
The Action Group had obtained a declaration that, where an overpayment of benefits had arisen due to a miscalculation by the officers of the Department, any process of recovering the overpayment must be by the Act, and that the Department could not . .
Cited – Legal Services Commission v Henthorn QBD 4-Feb-2011
The claimant sought to recover overpayments said to have been made to the defendant barrister in the early 1990s. Interim payments on account had been made, but these were not followed by final accounts. The defendant, now retired, said that the . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
Benefits, Equity
Updated: 04 August 2022; Ref: scu.376132