Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time was for the Pensions Ombudsman to respond to enquiries in the latest period for which data is available; and if he will set a timetable for reducing those waiting times.

The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) has seen a consistent increase in demand for its services in recent years and has worked to improve and streamline processes. In 2022/23 TPO resolved around 99% of its general enquiries within 28 days of being logged on TPO’s system, compared to a target of 90%. In the same year, TPO closed almost 70% of pension complaints within 12 months, against a target of 55%.

TPO recently experienced a cyber incident which temporarily impacted its ability to respond to enquiries and progress pension complaints. The organisation is currently assessing the effect on waiting times and developing plans to reduce these.