Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of operating a free telephone helpline for those contacting the Civil Service Pensions Scheme.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) 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.

As of the 2 March 2026 recovery update, performance at the contact centre has improved significantly following the deployment of additional helpline advisers. During the final week of February, more than 90% of calls were answered within 30 seconds. The overall call answer rate has now reached 99%.

The Cabinet Office utilises 0300 numbers for the CSPS in line with government-wide standards for public bodies. This model ensures that calls are treated as standard geographic numbers, making them free to the vast majority of the public who use inclusive minute plans. Transitioning to a free-to-caller 0800 number would incur significant additional administrative costs for the taxpayer; the department is instead focused on maintaining swift answer rates to ensure costs for all callers remain minimal.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update (2 March 2026) is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-update-2-march-2026