Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to universal credit migration, what steps the Department is taking to ensure complaints are resolved within the 25-working-day statutory timeframe, particularly where claimant health is at risk.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department is committed to resolving complaints relating to Move to Universal Credit as quickly and effectively as possible, particularly where a claimant's health or wellbeing may be at risk. Cases involving vulnerability, safeguarding concerns or health risks are prioritised and escalated where appropriate, and complaint handlers are trained to identify and support vulnerable customers.

The Department’s aims to respond to complaint within 15 working days or, where a case will take longer than 15 days to respond to, set a resolution plan with the customer where cases are complex and may take longer. A resolution plan is a clear outline of how we will address and resolve a complaint. It sets out what actions will be taken, who is responsible, and the expected timescales for completing these actions.

The Department recognises that complaint response times have not consistently met expected standards in recent months due to increased volumes and a rise in complex cases.

Improving timeliness of responses remains a key operational priority.

To address this, the Department has taken urgent action to deploy additional resources to complaints and correspondence teams, prioritised the reduction of backlogs, strengthened performance monitoring and senior oversight, and improved case management processes to support faster and more consistent responses.

The Department remains committed to providing a fair, timely and compassionate service, while ensuring that vulnerable customers and those whose health may be at risk receive appropriate support and attention.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reduce delays and service issues with the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme is the responsibility of the Cabinet 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.

We are making Capita work to restore, to contractual levels, administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme following its failed transition in December last year. Capita committed to restoring the service by the end of June. The Government is now undertaking a comprehensive assessment of the latest data provided by Capita post the end of June commitment.

We remain committed to holding Capita accountable. Should underperformance occur and the agreed firm end of June deadline not be met, the Government will not hesitate to take firm action, all commercial levers will be used and all options will be considered.

A dedicated 140-person government surge team was deployed to clear the 15,000 inherited unread emails and stabilise operations. Government has been clear that this support will remain in place until they are satisfied service levels have been restored, with an expectation of Capita picking up the cost (to be part of the post-recovery contractual settlement).

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of an equitable mobility arrangement, separate to the Freedom of Movement arrangement, between the UK and the EU.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds

This Government is committed to ensuring opportunities for young British citizens to live, work, study, and travel across the European Union. That is why at the 2025 UK-EU Summit, we agreed to negotiate a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU, providing an invaluable form of cultural exchange. We have agreed that any scheme will be capped, subject to a visa requirement, as well as time-limited, ensuring any impact of the scheme is controlled. This will give young people the opportunity to travel, work and study overseas. The exact parameters of the scheme are subject to ongoing negotiations.

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Found: Eshalomi (Chair); Mr Jonathan Brash; Lewis Cocking; Chris Curtis; Mr Lee Dillon; Mr Will Forster; Sarah Smith

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Found: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat; Woking) Mr Gagan Mohindra (Conservative; South West Hertfordshire) Sarah Smith

Found: Jonathan Brash; Lewis Cocking; Chris Curtis; Ashley Dalton; Mr Will Forster; Mr Gagan Mohindra; Sarah Smith

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Found: continued WEF 7 August 2026 EUROCOLD LIMITED Director(s): Mark Smith, Susan Davies, Gerry Gordon, Sarah Smith

Found: OPSS deputy chief executive Sarah Smith gave evidence to the Committee (3 June) alongside Department

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