Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support retired civil servants who have not received their pensions from the Civil Service Pension Scheme in January.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 accessing their pensions is unacceptable.
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.
In response, we have set up a dedicated team to work urgently with Capita, with 650 full time staff across Government and Capita and with an aim to restoring normal service as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery.
Capita has 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. A similar position will be reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.
Alongside these arrangements, Capita has prioritised payment of tax-free pension lump sums for members who had received quotations but were not in receipt of their benefits, with the vast majority of these having been paid in February.
Since 26 January, the recovery team has received detailed data on all the outstanding cases, allowing us to track progress and actively manage the most urgent situations.
The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.
No former civil servant should be facing financial hardship as a result of delays to their pension and we are supporting government employers to provide direct support to people facing delays in their first payments.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Capita about retired civil servants who have not received pensions from the Civil Service Pension Scheme in January.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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 accessing their pensions is unacceptable.
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.
In response, we have set up a dedicated team to work urgently with Capita, with 650 full time staff across Government and Capita and with an aim to restoring normal service as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery.
Capita has 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. A similar position will be reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.
Alongside these arrangements, Capita has prioritised payment of tax-free pension lump sums for members who had received quotations but were not in receipt of their benefits, with the vast majority of these having been paid in February.
Since 26 January, the recovery team has received detailed data on all the outstanding cases, allowing us to track progress and actively manage the most urgent situations.
The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.
No former civil servant should be facing financial hardship as a result of delays to their pension and we are supporting government employers to provide direct support to people facing delays in their first payments.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Companies House about facilitating the removal of peers' private addresses from the website for security reasons.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government aims to strike the right balance between transparency and privacy, ensuring the Companies House register does not become a tool for abuse. Any individual can therefore apply to protect their residential address in most cases where it appears on the public register. No evidence of being at risk of harm is required.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which Taiwan fulfils the four requirements for statehood set out in the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States: permanent population; defined territory; an effective government; and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan, as set out in the 1972 UK-China Communique, has not changed and remains the position of this Government.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Palestinian Media Watch, published on 11 February, that aid funding to the Palestinian Authority is still being paid to terrorists and their families.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer I provided on 13 November 2025 in response to Question HL11575.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what account they took of the Nolan principles in the decision to provide for the postponement of some local elections in 2026, in particular the principles of (1) accountability, and (2) selflessness.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On 23 February, the Secretary of State provided an update to the House on local elections: written statement HLWS1367 (attached).
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of (1) Holocaust Memorial Day, (2) the Imperial War Museum London's Holocaust Galleries, and (3) the National Holocaust Centre, in reducing antisemitism; and whether they will commission research to assess the potential impact of the planned Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens on reducing antisemitism.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government highly values the work of many UK institutions raising awareness and understanding of the Holocaust. The proposed national Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, prominently located in Westminster, will enable millions more to learn the facts of the Holocaust and its roots in antisemitism. Such knowledge cannot alone eliminate antisemitism but is a necessary foundation.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether UK humanitarian aid for Gaza is diverted to Hamas or Hamas-linked individuals operating in Gaza.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
We have robust processes in place to prevent the diversion of UK aid. All aid partners are subject to thorough due diligence checks, and programmes are continually monitored to make sure money is spent as intended.
Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK, and funding or supporting it is a crime. We have been clear that Hamas must play no role in the future of Gaza, and no UK funding goes to Hamas or its affiliates.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term physical, mental and legal consequences of the Puberty Suppression and Transitional Healthcare with Adaptive Youth Services study of children with gender dysphoria.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is following expert, independent advice from the Cass Review to implement a programme of research to support high quality National Health Service care for children and young people with gender incongruence. Responding to the specific recommendations of the review, the programme includes the PATHWAYS trial, a carefully designed clinical trial to assess the relative benefits and harms of puberty-suppressing hormones as a treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence when provided alongside an updated model of NHS care incorporating holistic assessment and a tailored package of psychosocial support.
The trial is now in the set-up phase following comprehensive independent scientific, ethical, and regulatory review and approvals. It was designed by an independent research team, in conjunction with patient and public involvement as well as independent ethics, clinical, and legal experts. The team responsible for the protocol design have given considerable thought to the most appropriate eligibility criteria for entry into the trial, and to the physical and mental outcome measures to be monitored, to properly assess and protect young people's wellbeing.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to progress the Chagossian people's right to self-determination.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Baroness to the responses I gave on this issue in the Committee debate on the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill on Tuesday 25 November 2025.