Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the technical pensions adjustment in Table B.1 of Budget 2026, whether she plans to reduce (a) the Police Pensions Grant, (b) the police core grant or (c) any other funding to police forces in 2027-28 to reflect lower employer pension contributions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Secretary takes decisions on the distribution of police funding through the Police Funding Settlement; the provisional settlement will be published in December 2026.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the IOPC administers hardships loans for their retired employees who are currently waiting for their delayed Civil Service Pension to be processed by Capita.
Answered by Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We can confirm that, as of 5 October 2026, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) does offer a hardship loan scheme for recent retirees experiencing hardship due to Capita’s delays.
Eligibility for a hardship loan is restricted to active scheme members who have either retired or partially retired directly from a Civil Service employer since 1 January 2025 and face payment delays. Because these bridging funds are legally classified as employee-employer loans, they cannot be extended to deferred members, surviving spouses, or dependants due to the lack of an active employment link.
Deferred groups and vulnerable dependants are instead directed to Capita for urgent internal prioritisation via Cabinet Office Pensions Recovery Taskforce-monitored workflows. We are working tightly with internal teams to ensure that those who cannot access a loan have their core files fast-tracked through the system via our triage managers.
We have also established dedicated virtual surgeries for MPs and caseworkers to escalate urgent and exceptional cases directly with a Capita caseworker.
Regular updates on the work to recover the service will continue to be posted on the Civil Service Pensions member portal and on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether McCloud remedy compensation arrangements provide for financial losses incurred by police officers whose applications to restore opted-out pension service were accepted but whose pension rights were not restored in time for their intended retirement date; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that affected officers are not financially disadvantaged.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 and associated police pension regulations established the framework for implementation of the McCloud remedy in the Police Pension Scheme.
On 26 March 2026, I made a Written Ministerial Statement confirming that changes will be made for a small cohort of members who opted out of the scheme before the remedy period and were therefore unable to benefit fully from the intended effect of the legislation. This cohort includes members whose opted-out service had not been restored in time for their intended retirement date.
Members eligible for the McCloud remedy may also be entitled to claim compensation for certain financial losses arising from its implementation. It is for the relevant scheme manager to consider such claims.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether content advising people to represent health conditions incorrectly for financial gain may is addressed under existing legislation.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have interpreted the question as referring to content that may encourage individuals to misrepresent their health conditions in order to obtain welfare benefits to which they are not entitled.
The unscrupulous people who actively try to promote, encourage, or assist in fraud must not be tolerated and these people must face consequences. Offences under the Fraud Act 2006 can carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment. This includes offences such as making or supplying articles for use in fraud, including electronic materials where the person knows or intends that the information will be used to commit fraud – for example, the deliberate sale or distribution of fraud instruction manuals online.
We already work with partners, including Action Fraud, the City of London Police and the National Cyber Security Centre to prevent fraudulent activity online and DWP monitor social media platforms regularly. Additionally, Ofcom’s first Online Safety Codes of Practice sets out an expectation that large services at medium or high risk of fraud provide DWP with access to a dedicated channel for reporting fraud. Under the Online Safety Act 2023, social media companies now have a legal duty to remove illegal content, including fraudulent material.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has instructed police forces or their pension administrators regarding support for officers impacted by the gap between legacy and reformed pension schemes; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 and associated police pension regulations established the framework for implementing the McCloud remedy in the Police Pension Scheme. On 26 March 2026, I made a Written Ministerial Statement confirming that changes will be made for a small cohort of members who opted out of the scheme before the remedy period and were therefore unable to benefit fully from the intended effect of the legislation
Chief Constables, in their capacity as scheme manager, are responsible for the day to day running of police pension schemes and communicating with its members. The Home Office works closely with Chief Constables, forces and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, providing the legislative and policy framework and supporting scheme managers with the implementation of the McCloud remedy for all affected members in relation to England and Wales.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance has been issued to police pension scheme administrators on the provision of retirement benefit projections to officers affected by the McCloud remedy; and whether she plans to introduce minimum standards to ensure officers can make informed retirement decisions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 and associated police pension regulations established a framework for the implementation of the McCloud remedy in the Police Pension Scheme.
The Home Office has worked closely with police forces and stakeholders to support the implementation of the remedy. The Chief Constable, as scheme manager, is responsible for the day-to-day administration, including pension calculations and estimates. They are supported by operational guidance developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council to assist administrators in implementing the remedy.
There are currently no plans to introduce minimum standards.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Public Service Pensions Remedy (McCloud remedy) on police officers who are transitioning between the 1987 Police Pension Scheme and the 2015 Career Average Revalued Earnings scheme; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that such officers are not subject to financial penalties when retiring at their originally expected retirement point.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Eligible members of the police pension scheme affected by the McCloud remedy will have the opportunity to make an individual choice at retirement based on the benefits they wish to receive. They will be provided with personalised benefits information to support the decision. This is also the approach for members of other reformed public service pension schemes who are eligible for the McCloud Remedy.
As part of the public service pension scheme reforms, the 2015 police pension scheme introduced valuable protections for the benefits that members have accrued in their legacy schemes (including the 1987 pension scheme): protecting the point at which they can draw those legacy benefits, maintaining a link to their final salary against their pensionable service and where applicable, a link to the enhanced accrual rate.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the 40 benefit-related investigations reported in the Department for Work and Pensions Annual Report and Accounts 2025–26 resulted in (a) dismissal, (b) referral to the police and (c) criminal proceedings.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government Internal Audit Agency undertakes independent, internal disciplinary investigations on behalf of the DWP into allegations of internal fraud and other serious misconduct.
Of the 40 benefit-related investigations completed by GIAA in 2025-26, 39 related to DWP employees and one related to an individual employed by an outsourced provider.
To avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations and to comply with data protection obligations, the Department is unable to provide further information on individual cases, including details of the benefits involved, the nature of the misconduct, the number of claimants affected, disciplinary outcomes, criminal referrals, criminal proceedings, or amounts recovered or written off.
Information relating to any successful criminal convictions becomes publicly available through the courts.
The Department takes its responsibility for protecting the public purse extremely seriously and seeks to recover losses arising from internal fraud wherever possible. The Department has a range of debt recovery powers available, including recovery of assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to issue police pensions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Responsibility for the administration of the police pension scheme lies with individual police forces, with each Chief Constable acting as scheme manager under the police pension regulations. Pension administrators are appointed and managed locally by forces.
The Home Office continues to engage with policing partners on issues affecting the administration of police pension schemes and recognises the importance of members receiving timely and accurate pension information.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to help protect gas engineers from customers who have had a past of being abusive to engineers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Employers have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to manage the risk to employees from work-related violence, which includes:
The duty extends to employees visiting customers' homes, including gas engineers. Employers are expected to assess and manage those risks. To assist employers, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published guidance on how to assess the risks and put the right controls in place to protect workers. There is specific guidance on violence and aggression at work: Violence and aggression at work - HSE and for lone workers: Lone working: Protect those working alone - HSE
If an employee has experienced violence in connection with a work activity, HSE encourages them to report this to their employer. Employers, certain self-employed people and those in control of work premises must report certain workplace injuries, dangerous occurrences and occupational diseases to HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Workers may also want to report instances of violence or intimidation to the police.