Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the efficiency of Capita plc in processing outstanding Civil Service pension cases; and if he will provide guidance on the expected timescales within which all outstanding pension cases from 2025 will be paid.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and Gov.uk.
Capita is under a firm mandate to restore full service delivery to standard contractual levels by the end of June 2026. We are actively exploring the use of all available commercial and contractual levers and continue to withhold milestone payments for missed transition deliverables. All options remain on the table if they fail to meet the June deadline.
Around 25,000 members currently await pension quotations from Capita, including outstanding historical cases left unprocessed by the previous administrator. Whilst we have mandated that Capita restore service levels by the end of June 2026, putting accepted quotes into payment requires sequential administrative steps, meaning the first actual payments will commence around late August or September.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Capita plc processes Civil Service pension cases in (a) a timely and (b) an efficient manner; and what that timeframe will be.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and Gov.uk.
Capita is under a firm mandate to restore full service delivery to standard contractual levels by the end of June 2026. We are actively exploring the use of all available commercial and contractual levers and continue to withhold milestone payments for missed transition deliverables. All options remain on the table if they fail to meet the June deadline.
Around 25,000 members currently await pension quotations from Capita, including outstanding historical cases left unprocessed by the previous administrator. Whilst we have mandated that Capita restore service levels by the end of June 2026, putting accepted quotes into payment requires sequential administrative steps, meaning the first actual payments will commence around late August or September.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who recommended Paula Vennells for an award in the 2019 New Year Honours list.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Honours nominations are made in confidence, and there is an expectation that they remain confidential in order to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the honours system.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to provide a live British Sign Language interpreter at each daily covid-19 briefing.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 166585 answered on 15 March 2021.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to make a decision on the request for a framework of compensation for victims and the families of the contaminated blood scandal before the inquiry into that scandal reports.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 141420 on 29 January 2021.