Question
Another weekly surgery, another Capita complaint—this time, a constituent was told on one of her many calls to Capita that she would have to wait while they accessed the spreadsheet because someone was already using it. When the Minister talks about some slow improvements in technology, one can only imagine that Capita’s starting point was a typewriter and abacus. Even with the support of officials, does the Minister really trust Capita to safely deliver an AI-enabled service to our constituents?
Answer
I agree with the hon. Member. I am not a tech expert, but I certainly know there is nothing AI about the system that Capita has been using. It is totally unacceptable that Capita suggested that the system would be AI, when clearly it was not ready to take on this level of automation. The technology was not available to Capita at the time. Cabinet Office officials are working on the Capita systems day in, day out to make sure that we are holding Capita to account and challenging it. As I have said, there have been some improvements to the technology, and I have told Capita that those improvements need to continue. Whatever it is putting in, there is more it can do, and I continue to tell Capita representatives that every time I meet them. As far as I am concerned, things will never be good enough until every single person affected has the pension that they should have and the compensation to which they are entitled.12% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (72/100)
The question asked whether the minister had confidence in Capita's use of AI in delivering the system. The minister agreed with the premise, called Capita's AI claim unacceptable, said the system is not ready for that level of automation, and said officials are holding Capita to account. The reply never uses the word 'confidence' itself, and it gives no specifics on what the accountability involves, so a reader would understand the minister's position but might still want more detail.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whether the Minister has confidence that Capita can safely deliver an AI-enabled service to constituents, even with the support of officials. | Addressed | Direct | The minister agrees with the premise, says the system has nothing AI about it, calls Capita's AI claim unacceptable and the system not ready for that level of automation, and describes officials holding Capita to account, which together answer the question of confidence in Capita's AI-enabled delivery even though the reply never uses the word 'confidence' explicitly. |