Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much money his Department has recovered from MyCSP in relation to the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme in each of the last five financial years.
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.
While the specific financial values of commercial transactions remain commercially confidential in relation to Capita, I am unable to disclose the figures, but I can confirm that the Cabinet Office has withheld significant transition milestone payments due to missed deliverables. Although contractual performance data is generally considered commercially sensitive, in this instance, information regarding MyCSP and recovered amounts is already in the public domain via submissions to the Committee of Public Accounts. In these submissions, it is noted that over the last five financial years, the Department has recovered a total of £247,893. Wider financial adjustments, such as routine overpayment corrections or contribution reconciliations, form part of the broader operational accounting of the scheme and are not categorised as direct departmental recoveries from the administrator.
All bereavement cases are triaged daily and routed for immediate action. Dependants and surviving spouses of Civil Service Pension Scheme members affected by delays in pension payments, who are not within the scope of the Transitional Support Loan scheme, should contact Capita and mention the financial impact of these delays. Capita will then prioritise the resolution of these cases. The recovery team is working alongside Capita and employers to manage escalations regarding bereavement cases.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of extending hardship loans to dependants and surviving spouses of Civil Service Pension Scheme members affected by delays in pension payments.
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.
While the specific financial values of commercial transactions remain commercially confidential in relation to Capita, I am unable to disclose the figures, but I can confirm that the Cabinet Office has withheld significant transition milestone payments due to missed deliverables. Although contractual performance data is generally considered commercially sensitive, in this instance, information regarding MyCSP and recovered amounts is already in the public domain via submissions to the Committee of Public Accounts. In these submissions, it is noted that over the last five financial years, the Department has recovered a total of £247,893. Wider financial adjustments, such as routine overpayment corrections or contribution reconciliations, form part of the broader operational accounting of the scheme and are not categorised as direct departmental recoveries from the administrator.
All bereavement cases are triaged daily and routed for immediate action. Dependants and surviving spouses of Civil Service Pension Scheme members affected by delays in pension payments, who are not within the scope of the Transitional Support Loan scheme, should contact Capita and mention the financial impact of these delays. Capita will then prioritise the resolution of these cases. The recovery team is working alongside Capita and employers to manage escalations regarding bereavement cases.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of the United States on reports of British nationals, including Scotland supporters travelling to the FIFA World Cup, having previously approved ESTA authorisations changed to Travel Not Authorised shortly before their planned travel.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
ESTAs are a normal part of the immigration system in the United States, and any decisions on eligibility or revocation are made by US authorities, not the UK Government. However, we have advised British fans affected by issues with their ESTAs to explore the options set out by the US authorities, including measures that have been put in place to expedite processes if possible. UK officials will continue to work closely with their US counterparts on the issue as a whole and support British nationals as appropriate. I have discussed these issues with US officials.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the United States Embassy on the availability of urgent visa appointments for British nationals whose ESTA authorisation has been withdrawn shortly before travelling to attend FIFA World Cup fixtures.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
ESTAs are a normal part of the immigration system in the United States, and any decisions on eligibility or revocation are made by US authorities, not the UK Government. However, we have advised British fans affected by issues with their ESTAs to explore the options set out by the US authorities, including measures that have been put in place to expedite processes if possible. UK officials will continue to work closely with their US counterparts on the issue as a whole and support British nationals as appropriate. I have discussed these issues with US officials.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with Motability on the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment Scheme following the changes to VAT and Insurance Premium Tax reliefs for qualifying motor vehicle leasing schemes.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
Both prior to and following the announcement of tax changes to the Motability Scheme at Budget 2025, the Government has engaged closely with the Motability Foundation to understand in depth how tax changes would impact the Motability Scheme and their customers.