Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many newly retired members of the civil service pension scheme did not receive payments a) one week, b) two weeks, 3) one month, 4) two months, 5) three months and 6) six months after their first payment was due.
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 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 8,747 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
However, the level of detail requested in respect of specific payment delays (PQ 110109) and quote delays (PQ 110110) is not available from either Capita or the former administrator, MyCSP.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of the civil service pension scheme had not received quotes as to their expected pension income a) 12 months before retirement, b) six months before retirement, c) 3 months before retirement , d) one month before retirement and e) date of retirement.
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 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 8,747 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
However, the level of detail requested in respect of specific payment delays (PQ 110109) and quote delays (PQ 110110) is not available from either Capita or the former administrator, MyCSP.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many newly retired members of the civil service pension scheme did not receive payments on their due dates in each of the last 3 years.
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 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.
The former pension scheme administrator, MyCSP, was responsible for providing management reports to the Cabinet Office. Based on the management information that we hold we can confirm that MyCSP has reported the following average details for members receiving payments.
Between Jan-Dec 2023: 31,022 members retired with 100% of payments on time.
Between Jan - Dec 2024: 37,486 members retired - MyCSP reported that 75% of payments were paid on time which meant that 9,372 members did not receive their payments on time. The majority of members received their lump sum within 30 days of retirement alongside the first pension payment.
Between Jan-Nov 2025 30,825 members retired - MyCSP reported that 99% of payments were paid on time which meant that 308 members did not receive their payment on time. The majority of members received their lump sum within 30 days of retirement alongside the first pension payment.
These figures are based on MyCSP reporting and do not include work in progress that was transferred to Capita on the 1st December 2025.
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: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to (a) consolidate and (b) relocate departmental property estates outside of London.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 14 May, the Government announced it will:
strengthen its presence in 13 cross Government locations across the UK;
ensure that 50% of UK-based SCS are located outside of London by 2030;
strengthen the talent pipeline by launching a new apprenticeship programme, setting an ambition for 50% of Fast Stream roles to be based outside London by 2030, and committing to develop and launch a local government interchange programme in partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA);
reduce the number of Civil Service buildings in London, closing 11 buildings by 2030 to deliver £94m in savings per year; and
launch two new thematic campuses: an Energy Campus in Aberdeen; and a Digital & AI Innovation Campus in Manchester.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure timely responses to ministerial correspondence.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
We are committed to providing timely and high-quality responses to ministerial correspondence. We regularly review our departmental performance and adjust internal processes accordingly. Departmental performance in responding to Ministerial correspondence is published annually on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Thousands of Civil Service roles moved out of London in latest reform to the state, published on 14 May 2025, what recent progress his Department has made on moving civil service roles outside of London.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 14 May, the Government announced it will be:
Strengthening its presence in 13 cross Government locations across the UK.
Ensuring that 50% of UK-based SCS are located outside of London by 2030.
Strengthening the talent pipeline by launching a new apprenticeship programme, setting an ambition for 50% of Fast Stream roles to be based outside London by 2030, and committing to develop and launch a local government interchange programme in partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA).
Reducing the number of Civil Service buildings in London, closing 11 buildings by 2030 to deliver £94m in savings per year.
Launching two new thematic campuses, an Energy Campus in Aberdeen and a Digital & AI Innovation Campus in Manchester.
In June, the Government announced that PfG’s existing thematic campuses in Darlington, Sheffield and Leeds will be leading a new approach to bring together policy makers with those on the frontline to support mission delivery.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many non-disclosure agreements have been signed by staff in central government departments in the last 12 months.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Departments are required to report to the Cabinet Office on an annual basis the number of confidentiality clauses used in connection with special severance payments, however full information on the use of non-disclosure agreements is held by individual departments.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many government contracts have been awarded without competitive tender since January 2023.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder). Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search). The details published online include whether each contract was let through competitive tendering or via direct award.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress he has made on the Places for Growth programme.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 14 May, the Government announced it will be:
Strengthening its presence in 13 cross Government locations across the UK.
Ensuring that 50% of UK-based SCS are located outside of London by 2030.
Strengthening the talent pipeline by launching a new apprenticeship programme, setting an ambition for 50% of Fast Stream roles to be based outside London by 2030, and committing to develop and launch a local government interchange programme in partnership with the Local Government Association (LGA).
Reducing the number of Civil Service buildings in London, closing 11 buildings by 2030 to deliver £94m in savings per year.
Launching two new thematic campuses, an Energy Campus in Aberdeen and a Digital & AI Innovation Campus in Manchester.
In June, the Government announced that PfG’s existing thematic campuses in Darlington, Sheffield and Leeds will be leading a new approach to bring together policy makers with those on the frontline to support mission delivery.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the cost to the public purse of central Government spending on external consultants in each of the last three years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Individual Central Government departments publish expenditure on external consultants in their annual reports and accounts. The Government is committed to stopping all non-essential expenditure on consultants, and reducing the reliance on contingent labour.