Question
Like many other MPs, I am still being contacted by constituents about their civil service pensions and the unacceptable delays. It is deeply concerning that my constituent Julie, who retired from the civil service in February, had her pension finalised only in September, and these delays are causing huge distress and financial hardship. If we are going to pay compensation, should it not be paid by Capita, not from any pension pot, and will that be done without having to navigate any lengthy or tiresome claims process?
Answer
I am sorry to hear about the experience that my hon. Friend’s constituent has had, as have the constituents of so many in this House. On compensation, as I have set out, we are absolutely determined that no member will be worse off as a result of Capita’s failure. The Government are determined to recoup every single penny we have had to spend helping Capita to resolve the failures, which it should have been able to do itself. On her constituents being able to claim compensation, I will come back to this House at a later date once we have this under control, and I will be happy to answer further questions on that. However, as I have set out, complaints will be handled in reference to the Pension Ombudsman standards.14% point-scoring 29% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (45/100) DEFERRED
The reply addresses who bears the cost: it says the Government will recoup the money spent helping Capita resolve the failures and that no member will be worse off, which points to Capita paying, though it never states that outright. On whether constituents can claim compensation, the reply defers the answer until the problem is under control and gives no detail on how claims would work or whether they would be simplified. The asker would likely need to follow up for the compensation and claims information.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether compensation for delays in civil service pension calculations should be paid by Capita rather than from any pension pot | Addressed | Direct | The reply says the Government will recoup every penny spent helping Capita resolve the failures and that Capita should have resolved them itself, which places the financial burden on Capita, and that no member will be worse off as a result of Capita's failure. It does not state outright that compensation will be paid by Capita, so the answer is inferred from these statements. |
| Whether compensation for delayed civil service pensions will be paid without affected individuals having to navigate a lengthy or burdensome claims process | Deferred | Hedged | On whether constituents can claim compensation, the reply explicitly defers the answer to a later date once the problem is under control, and the Pension Ombudsman reference concerns complaints handling rather than the burden of the claims process. The reply therefore gives no concrete detail on how claims would work or whether they would be simplified. |