Question
A constituent of mine from Somerton applied for retirement nearly a year ago, but has had to withdraw her application twice because she has not received her pension quotation, and she obviously cannot afford to retire with no income. My caseworkers have been attending the fortnightly casework meetings regularly, but there has been no resolution of this issue and many others like it. If neither Capita or the Cabinet Office can resolve my constituent’s problem, will the Minister intervene personally and tell my constituent when she will finally be paid?
Answer
If the hon. Member writes to me with the details of that case, I will look at it myself and ensure that it is passed to my private office as well. I am sorry to say that this is the experience of many scheme members because of the failure of Capita. It is not acceptable, and we are working day and night to ensure that Capita is held to account and the service is improved.50% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (40/100)
The Minister directly answered the first part of the question, committing to personally look at the constituent's case and pass it to the private office, though this depends on the MP sending further details. The reply did not answer the second part: it gives no date or timeframe for when the constituent will be paid, and it only acknowledges that many members face the same problem and that the department is holding Capita to account. The constituent would most likely need to ask again for a payment timeline.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| If Capita and the Cabinet Office cannot resolve the constituent's pension quotation problem, will the Minister personally intervene in her case? | Addressed | Direct | The Minister commits to personally looking at the case and passing it to the private office, which is a concrete form of personal intervention. The commitment is conditional on the MP writing with details, but it still answers whether the Minister will personally intervene. |
| Will the Minister tell the constituent when she will be paid her pension? | Not Addressed | Generic | The reply never says when the constituent will be paid or commits to telling her a date. It only acknowledges that many members face the same problem and says the department is holding Capita to account, which does not answer the request for a payment timeline. |