Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to set up an engagement group of disabled people's organisations to be involved in decision making associated with the work of the D20.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
Decisions on the membership and UK representatives of G20 engagement groups are not for the Government to make; they should be decided by the groups themselves.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the UK's lead in the D20 will be a person with a disability.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
Decisions on the membership and UK representatives of G20 engagement groups are not for the Government to make; they should be decided by the groups themselves.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who will be the UK's lead from 15 December 2026 when the UK takes over the chair of the D20.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
Decisions on the membership and UK representatives of G20 engagement groups are not for the Government to make; they should be decided by the groups themselves.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how can members of the public register their objections to those who have been awarded honours.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
Honours are awarded by The Sovereign following a recommendation from one of ten independent Honours Committees, comprising a majority of independent members who are experts in their relevant sector. Honours are given to reward outstanding service in a given field or area and are awarded entirely on merit. As part of the nomination process, we try to minimise the risk that prospective candidates have behaved in ways likely to bring the system into disrepute by carrying out probity checks with a number of government departments before names are submitted for approval.
A recipient who has been deemed to have brought the honours system into disrepute can have their award forfeited. Full criteria for forfeiture and the Forfeiture Committee’s contact details are available on gov.uk.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many requests for Civil Service Pension quotations remain outstanding.
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.
Capita were initially instructed to prioritise and clear the most urgent cases such as Death in Service and Ill-Health during February and March. While Capita previously assured us that performance standards for Death in Service and Ill-Health were being met by mid-March, recent information continues to demonstrate unacceptable delays in some ill-health retirement and death-in-service cases. We have urgently escalated this to Capita, who are actively investigating the underlying data and reasons for these continued delays.
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.
Capita has issued lump sum payments to 16,776 retired members awaiting their regular pensions, whilst the scheme continues to pay approximately 730,000 existing pensioners on time. To alleviate immediate hardship, employers have issued £14.2 million in Transitional Support Loans to 2,612 members, alongside interest-free bridging loans ranging from £5,000 to £20,000. Members will fully repay these bridging loans upon receipt of their formal pension payments.
The scheme will automatically pay interest on delayed benefits to protect members from financial loss. The statutory complaints process evaluates claims for financial loss, distress, and inconvenience on a case-by-case basis and is operated in strict accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.
We are unable to provide a breakdown of the number of people affected in the Poole constituency. Capita does not provide standard reporting on the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme on a geographical or constituency basis.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has considered awarding compensation to retired civil servants impacted by delays in the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
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.
Capita were initially instructed to prioritise and clear the most urgent cases such as Death in Service and Ill-Health during February and March. While Capita previously assured us that performance standards for Death in Service and Ill-Health were being met by mid-March, recent information continues to demonstrate unacceptable delays in some ill-health retirement and death-in-service cases. We have urgently escalated this to Capita, who are actively investigating the underlying data and reasons for these continued delays.
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.
Capita has issued lump sum payments to 16,776 retired members awaiting their regular pensions, whilst the scheme continues to pay approximately 730,000 existing pensioners on time. To alleviate immediate hardship, employers have issued £14.2 million in Transitional Support Loans to 2,612 members, alongside interest-free bridging loans ranging from £5,000 to £20,000. Members will fully repay these bridging loans upon receipt of their formal pension payments.
The scheme will automatically pay interest on delayed benefits to protect members from financial loss. The statutory complaints process evaluates claims for financial loss, distress, and inconvenience on a case-by-case basis and is operated in strict accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.
We are unable to provide a breakdown of the number of people affected in the Poole constituency. Capita does not provide standard reporting on the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme on a geographical or constituency basis.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many retired civil servants in Poole constituency are awaiting regular pension payments from the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
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.
Capita were initially instructed to prioritise and clear the most urgent cases such as Death in Service and Ill-Health during February and March. While Capita previously assured us that performance standards for Death in Service and Ill-Health were being met by mid-March, recent information continues to demonstrate unacceptable delays in some ill-health retirement and death-in-service cases. We have urgently escalated this to Capita, who are actively investigating the underlying data and reasons for these continued delays.
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.
Capita has issued lump sum payments to 16,776 retired members awaiting their regular pensions, whilst the scheme continues to pay approximately 730,000 existing pensioners on time. To alleviate immediate hardship, employers have issued £14.2 million in Transitional Support Loans to 2,612 members, alongside interest-free bridging loans ranging from £5,000 to £20,000. Members will fully repay these bridging loans upon receipt of their formal pension payments.
The scheme will automatically pay interest on delayed benefits to protect members from financial loss. The statutory complaints process evaluates claims for financial loss, distress, and inconvenience on a case-by-case basis and is operated in strict accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.
We are unable to provide a breakdown of the number of people affected in the Poole constituency. Capita does not provide standard reporting on the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme on a geographical or constituency basis.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when retired civil servants will receive Civil Service Pension quotations.
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.
Capita were initially instructed to prioritise and clear the most urgent cases such as Death in Service and Ill-Health during February and March. While Capita previously assured us that performance standards for Death in Service and Ill-Health were being met by mid-March, recent information continues to demonstrate unacceptable delays in some ill-health retirement and death-in-service cases. We have urgently escalated this to Capita, who are actively investigating the underlying data and reasons for these continued delays.
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.
Capita has issued lump sum payments to 16,776 retired members awaiting their regular pensions, whilst the scheme continues to pay approximately 730,000 existing pensioners on time. To alleviate immediate hardship, employers have issued £14.2 million in Transitional Support Loans to 2,612 members, alongside interest-free bridging loans ranging from £5,000 to £20,000. Members will fully repay these bridging loans upon receipt of their formal pension payments.
The scheme will automatically pay interest on delayed benefits to protect members from financial loss. The statutory complaints process evaluates claims for financial loss, distress, and inconvenience on a case-by-case basis and is operated in strict accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.
We are unable to provide a breakdown of the number of people affected in the Poole constituency. Capita does not provide standard reporting on the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme on a geographical or constituency basis.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made any assessment of the implications for UK procurement policy of senior foreign political figures holding investments in companies supplying sensitive UK public sector systems.
Answered by Chris Ward
The Government takes threats to UK national security in relation to public contracts seriously.
Under the Procurement Act 2023, contracting authorities must undertake due diligence to ensure suppliers do not pose particular risks. The Act enables the exclusion of suppliers if specific grounds apply to them or their "connected persons", which can include people who exercise significant control over them.
If a supplier or its connected person poses a threat to UK national security the supplier can be excluded or placed on a centralised debarment list.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a written constitution for the UK.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
The UK’s uncodified constitution has evolved over time and is made up of conventions, statutes, judicial decisions, principles and practices. It is the Government’s view that one of the strengths of our constitution is its flexibility and ability to evolve in response to changing circumstances. The Government therefore has no plans to introduce a codified constitution.