Question
I thank my hon. Friend for this statement. Like everybody else, I have cases that I have contacted the Minister about, but today I want to raise something else—something that has been consistent across all the cases that my office has dealt with on a regular basis, which is how my constituents are being treated when they call the Capita helpline. My constituents describe being laughed at and being told that, regardless of what happens in this House, it will be up to Capita to decide when they actually get their pensions. These individuals—people who have served this country well for many years—are getting increasingly desperate, as they have often had no income for up to a year. Nobody should be treated without dignity or respect by anybody acting in the name of this Government. I ask my hon. Friend to engage with her officials to ensure that the message that this is completely unacceptable is driven through to Capita.
Answer
I am absolutely disgusted to hear about the experience of my hon. Friend’s constituents with the Capita hotline and will be taking that up with Capita myself. It is totally unacceptable. No one in Capita right now should have the time to laugh, frankly; they should be spending every waking minute working to resolve their failures and the crisis that our retired civil servants are facing.40% point-scoring 40% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (72/100)
The question was answered directly with a concrete commitment: the minister said they would raise the treatment with Capita personally and called it totally unacceptable. The reply responds to the concern through the minister's own engagement rather than through officials as the question asked, and it gives no timescale or outcome. The answer is clear and committed but not complete in every detail.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Minister engage with her officials to ensure that the message that the treatment of constituents by the Capita helpline is completely unacceptable is conveyed to Capita? | Addressed | Direct | The minister commits to 'taking that up with Capita myself' (statement 2), which is the direct channel the question asks about, and restates that the treatment is 'totally unacceptable' (statement 3), conveying the message the question wants delivered. The question asks about officials, but the minister's personal engagement with Capita answers the same substance. |