Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the statement issued by CAPITA on 28th January 2026, if will he outline the measures included in the urgent recovery plan that is being conducted by HMRC.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.
Angela MacDonald, Deputy Chief Executive at HMRC, is working with the Cabinet Office and Capita to lead and support delivery of a full recovery plan.This includes commitments, with milestones, to immediately deal with priority cases, restore service levels and improve communication with affected members.The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.
Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.
Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.
To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.
The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to make (a) primary legislative, (b) secondary legislative, (c) statutory guidance or (d) non-statutory guidance changes to activity under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my previous answer (UIN122783).
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the performance of Capita as administrator of the Civil Service Pension Scheme; what the current size of the casework and payments backlog is; what steps are being taken to address reported delays, errors and problems with the online pension portal; and how Capita is being held to account to ensure pension payments are made accurately and on time.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.
The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.
Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.
To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.
The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office is committed to the highest standards of integrity. Allegations of breaches of the Civil Service Code are investigated thoroughly in line with our departmental disciplinary procedures.
The Department’s systems are not configured to aggregate this data in the specific format requested. Extracting this information would require an extensive manual auditing exercise of personnel records, which cannot be completed within the required timeframe.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Goss Moor (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the median salary for civil servants graded at Senior Executive Officer, or equivalent, in England in each year since 1996–97 in (1) cash terms, and (2) real terms adjusted for inflation; and what was the percentage salary increase in each of those terms between 1996–97 and 2025–26.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Decisions on pay below Senior Civil Service are delegated to Departments.
Information on median salary of civil servants at SEO grade in England is available only for each year from 31 March 2007 to 31 March 2025. Please see table below:
Year | Grade | Median Salary | Median Salary - real terms adjusted for inflation relative to 2007 | Median Salary - real terms adjusted for inflation relative to 2025 | Percentage increase in cash terms since 2007 | Percentage increase in real terms adjusted for inflation since 2007 |
2007 | SEO | £36,000 | £36,000 | £59,100 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
2008 | SEO | £36,000 | £35,100 | £57,600 | 0.0% | -2.5% |
2009 | SEO | £36,400 | £34,600 | £56,800 | 1.3% | -3.9% |
2010 | SEO | £37,500 | £34,700 | £57,000 | 4.2% | -3.5% |
2011 | SEO | £38,700 | £34,600 | £56,900 | 7.7% | -3.7% |
2012 | SEO | £38,800 | £33,600 | £55,300 | 7.8% | -6.5% |
2013 | SEO | £38,800 | £32,800 | £54,000 | 7.8% | -8.7% |
2014 | SEO | £39,000 | £32,500 | £53,400 | 8.3% | -9.7% |
2015 | SEO | £38,800 | £32,200 | £53,000 | 7.8% | -10.4% |
2016 | SEO | £38,900 | £32,100 | £52,800 | 8.2% | -10.7% |
2017 | SEO | £38,700 | £31,200 | £51,300 | 7.5% | -13.3% |
2018 | SEO | £38,800 | £30,600 | £50,300 | 8.0% | -14.9% |
2019 | SEO | £39,200 | £30,400 | £49,900 | 9.1% | -15.6% |
2020 | SEO | £39,800 | £30,300 | £49,800 | 10.6% | -15.7% |
2021 | SEO | £40,600 | £30,600 | £50,300 | 12.8% | -14.8% |
2022 | SEO | £40,600 | £28,800 | £47,400 | 12.8% | -19.8% |
2023 | SEO | £42,100 | £27,500 | £45,200 | 17.2% | -23.5% |
2024 | SEO | £44,000 | £27,700 | £45,500 | 22.5% | -22.9% |
2025 | SEO | £46,100 | £28,000 | £46,100 | 28.2% | -22.0% |
Notes:
-Source: Civil Service Statistics
-Figures are based on Civil Service salaries as at 31st March in each year.
-Median salaries have been rounded to the nearest £100.
-The ONS CPIH index for March in each year has been used to calculate real terms inflation adjusted median salaries.
-Historically not all departments have had distinct SEO and HEO grades, and so may have reported under a combined SEO/HEO grade in previous years, and this may change across years, therefore caution should be used in interpreting time series at SEO only level as they may not be consistent.
Asked by: Lord Gilbert of Panteg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 16 December 2025 (HL12742), whether the Cabinet Office holds information on the current cash equivalent transfer value of the pension scheme established under the Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Information about this Pension Scheme, including a calculation of the cash equivalent transfer value, was included in the Crown Prosecution Service's annual report and accounts for 2013-14. There has been no change to the policy under the last Administration not to publish information about civil servants' individual pensions apart from in the remuneration reports contained in departmental annual reports and accounts.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister without Portfolio on 2 December 2025 (HC94697), whether the appointment of the current Director General of the Propriety, Ethics and Constitution Group was a level move or temporary promotion; and whether a Minister approved the appointment without open and fair competition.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The appointment of the current DG Propriety, Ethics and Constitution Group is a temporary promotion. Interim arrangements do not usually require ministerial approval. A recruitment campaign will be launched in due course.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is his policy on (a) full-time staff working a four-day week on full-pay and (b) full-time staff working compressed hours on a four-day week.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
A four-day work week on full pay is not a civil service policy or something that is being considered.
The Civil Service is committed to flexible working, recognising the benefits it brings to delivering its priorities. While departments are responsible for determining specific terms and conditions, full-time Civil Service employees typically work 42 gross hours (37 net hours) across a five-day week. Some departments offer flexible working policies such as compressed hours, which allow the same number of hours to be worked over a shorter period with no impact on pay. There are no flexible working options that would permit reduced or part-time hours while maintaining full-time pay.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance he has given to Departments on whether (a) prior performance and (b) end-of-year appraisal are a material consideration in the Civil Service promotion process.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Departments and agencies have authority to determine promotion and lateral transfer arrangements for their own staff, in addition to the personal review arrangements for their own staff outside the Senior Civil Service.
A condition of this authority is that promotion within the Civil Service must follow a decision as to the fitness of individuals, on merit, to undertake the duties concerned.
The Civil Service uses the Success Profiles framework to attract and retain talent. This framework covers the expected levels for different grades, helping people understand suitability requirements for promotion or level transfer.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance the Civil Service People Group has given to Departments on whether civil servants can claim expenses for travelling to work.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Civil Service Management Code (chapter 8) specifies the regulations for the reimbursement of expenses and details the conditions under which such expenses can be made. Departments must not reimburse the costs of home to office travel, unless explicitly permitted elsewhere within the Code.