Question RE DRO & Social Fund Debt

jamesb1239

Hi,
Hopefully someone can help with this (i think Debt Doctor assisted when I was first applying for a DRO)

I have obtained and subsequently been discharged from a DRO (for some time) and included within my application was a Social Fund Loan which initially the DWP suspended collecting repayments on and then decided that they were in fact able to hold money from benefit payments. (my DRO was one of the early ones when they didn't know what to do about it)

After reading through Payne & Cooper v DWP I was wondering whether I would be able to write to the DWP and request that they return monies taken from me as repayment for that social fund loan as the above case decided that they did not in fact have the ability to make deductions?

I may not stand a chance but I thought that I would ask.

Thanks in advance

fatbelly

Yes, you should! They will be able to continue to take repayment on DRO applications after 19 March 2012 but these deductions were illegal for DROs made earlier

See DD's thread here for a DWP bulletin confirming this.