Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for issuing Pension Savings Statements to doctors.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the (a) eligibility criteria for interest-free hardship loans and (b) process for applying for them for retired civil servants that are unable to access their civil service pension payments on time.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The Civil Service Pension Scheme transferred to Capita on 1 December.
Transitional Help Loans are available to support those who may be facing hardship. These are interest free, will be provided by employers and available to those employees and to any partial retiree still in employment who retired from 1 January 2025 onwards. The pension member must be waiting for a delayed first pension payment. Loans of £5,000 will be made available and up to £10,000 in exceptional circumstances.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has the ability to issue penalties for performance in relation to Capita's contract for administering the Civil Service Pension.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The Civil Service Pension Scheme transferred to Capita on 1 December 2025.
The contract includes key performance indicators that, if not met, include financial penalties. These have already been applied in respect of Capita’s performance in December.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral evidence given by the Paymaster General and Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee session on 28 January 2026, HC 463, whether his Department has conducted an economic impact assessment on the potential cost to the public purse of providing loans and compensations to people impacted by delays to the receipt of their civil service pensions.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The Civil Service Pension Scheme transferred to Capita on 1 December 2025 and is experiencing significant performance issues in delivering services to members. The delays facing some civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions is unacceptable.
No former civil servant should be facing financial hardship as a result of delays to their pension. We are putting in place interest-free bridging loans of up to £5,000 (and up to £10,000 in exceptional cases) to recent retirees facing payment delays. These loans are to be repaid and will be met from existing departmental settlements. The provision of bridging loans and potential compensation does not require an economic impact assessment as this is not a new, revised or de-regulatory policy, bill or statutory instrument.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings Ministers in his department have had with CAPITA in regard to the administration of the civil service pension scheme.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The Civil Service Pension Scheme transferred to Capita on 1 December 2025 and is experiencing significant performance issues in delivering services to members.The delays facing some civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions is unacceptable.
Cabinet Office officials are meeting with Capita on a daily basis to progress the recovery plan, agree priority actions and review performance in order to move to the expected timelines and standards of service for all members as soon as possible. The Minister for the Cabinet Office also meets with the Capita CEO on a regular basis.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Civil Service Pension Scheme payments to beavered spouses are outstanding.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The Civil Service Pension Scheme transferred to Capita on 1 December 2025 and is experiencing significant performance issues in delivering services to members.The delays facing some civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions is unacceptable.
There are currently 6,300 open bereavement-related cases, with approximately 75% of cases inherited from the previous administrator. About 300 cases are death in service and are being treated as the highest priority. Many of these cases require the calculation and implementation of payments to surviving spouses or partners.
We are implementing a clear recovery plan with Capita, covering all aspects of the pension administration service. A specialist task force has been deployed with a commitment to restore all bereavement services and death in service by the end of February.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with Capita on ensuring newly retired civil servants receive pensions on time.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The Civil Service Pension Scheme transferred to Capita on 1 December 2025 and is experiencing significant performance issues in delivering services to members. The delays facing some civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions is unacceptable.
Both Ministers and senior officials are meeting regularly with Capita leaders to track progress against agreed recovery plans. The recovery plan includes specific milestones and accountability targets. It includes commitments to deal with priority cases as quickly as possible, restore service levels for all, deploy additional resources, and improve communication with affected members.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of not providing Gurkha veterans with equal pension benefits to those of other British Army veterans on those veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government greatly values the exceptional and longstanding contribution made by Gurkha soldiers to the United Kingdom. Since 2007, Gurkhas have received the same pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as the rest of the UK Armed Forces. For those who served prior to 2007, for the large majority, the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme provides a pension at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service.
We continue to work closely with Gurkha representatives and the Government of Nepal on a range of veteran issues and remain committed to ensuring Gurkha veterans are treated with fairness and respect.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to provide Gurkha veterans with pension benefits equivalent to those of their British Army counterparts.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Government greatly values the exceptional and longstanding contribution made by Gurkha soldiers to the United Kingdom. Since 2007, Gurkhas have received the same pension under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as the rest of the UK Armed Forces. For those who served prior to 2007, for the large majority, the 1948 Gurkha Pension Scheme provides a pension at least as good, and in many cases better, than that given to their British counterparts with identical periods of service.
We continue to work closely with Gurkha representatives and the Government of Nepal on a range of veteran issues and remain committed to ensuring Gurkha veterans are treated with fairness and respect.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the National Wealth Fund operates a salary sacrifice scheme for its Defined Contribution staff pension offering.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The National Wealth Fund does not operate a salary sacrifice scheme in respect of its Defined Contribution staff pension offering. Details of the National Wealth Fund’s pension offering are set out in the Remuneration Report within its Annual Report and Accounts, which can be accessed here: https://www.nationalwealthfund.org.uk/media/wpxnswqx/e03371942_nwf-ara-24-25_accessible_2.pdf