Question
I have raised in the Chamber previously the appalling delays that my constituents are experiencing in gaining access to their civil service pensions. Those delays continue. Another problem they are experiencing is that if they do not agree with the amount that they receive when they finally receive it, there is no response to their concerns from Capita and, indeed, no response to my correspondence on their behalf. Will the Minister raise with Capita the need for it to respond, as a matter of urgency, to my constituents who are receiving lower amounts than they expected, and to make corrections where necessary?
Answer
I will continue to challenge Capita about that. I have already done so, particularly in relation to correspondence from Members to which its responses have not been acceptable. If my hon. Friend will write to me about any specific cases, in particular the one that he has mentioned, I will happily put that in front of Capita myself.
Verdict: AMBER (56/100)
The minister clearly answered whether they will keep pressing Capita to respond, committing to continue the challenge and offering to raise individual cases directly. The request that Capita be asked to correct the pension amounts was only addressed indirectly: the reply implies that cases will be put right but never explicitly commits to seeking those corrections. The asker would likely have enough to know the minister is engaging with Capita, but may need to follow up to get a firm commitment on the corrections themselves.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Minister raise with Capita the need for it to respond urgently to constituents who are receiving lower pension amounts than they expected and who dispute those amounts. | Addressed | Direct | The minister commits to continuing to challenge Capita, says this has already been done in relation to Members' correspondence with unacceptable responses, and offers to put cases to Capita directly, which together answer whether the minister will press Capita to respond. |
| Will the Minister ask Capita to make corrections to constituents' civil service pension amounts where necessary. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply says the minister has challenged Capita and will pass specific cases to it, which points toward getting cases put right, but it never explicitly says the minister will ask Capita to correct pension amounts, so the requested corrections are only implied. |