Civil Service Pensions

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Monday 26th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sally Jameson]

I am sorry to hear of the experience of my hon. Friend’s constituent. There are no excuses for that. According to the deadlines that Capita sets itself, the case should have been resolved by now. If my hon. Friend will write to me, I will take it up with the chief operating officer of Capita. I would be happy to have a further conversation with my hon. Friend about what we are considering in respect of compensation, but the Pensions Ombudsman is obviously aware of what is happening with Capita, and a number of people will want compensation for their loss of income and the impact that has had on their life.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

A constituent of mine from Somerton applied for retirement nearly a year ago, but has had to withdraw her application twice because she has not received her pension quotation, and she obviously cannot afford to retire with no income. My caseworkers have been attending the fortnightly casework meetings regularly, but there has been no resolution of this issue and many others like it. If neither Capita or the Cabinet Office can resolve my constituent’s problem, will the Minister intervene personally and tell my constituent when she will finally be paid?

[Sally Jameson]

If the hon. Member writes to me with the details of that case, I will look at it myself and ensure that it is passed to my private office as well. I am sorry to say that this is the experience of many scheme members because of the failure of Capita. It is not acceptable, and we are working day and night to ensure that Capita is held to account and the service is improved.