Question
I thank the Minister for updating the House. I have had so much casework on this, as she will know, with some really heartbreaking stories. The fact is that the backlog, including the growing number of cases over 100 days old, is just continuing to grow. One of those in the backlog is my constituent Ann, who had to leave work with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism and severe pneumonia, and five months later she is still waiting to receive her money. She will be very disappointed with what the Minister has said today. I think she is looking for some really hard facts on the timescales. When will this be sorted once and for all? Are there meaningful sanctions? When will we hear whether Capita can be prevented from bidding for other Government contracts? Could there be some clawback of all the money her Department is spending on trying to put this right? When will there be compensation for my constituents who have had to wait so long?
Answer
I thank the hon. Member for raising her constituent’s case, and I am sorry to hear of Ann’s experience under Capita’s own self-imposed deadline. That case should have been resolved by now, and if the hon. Member wants to write to me about it, if she has not done so already, I will ensure that it is looked at. On further contracts for Capita, this Government brought in the Procurement Act 2023, which allows us to consider poor performance in giving out other contracts. As I have said, I cannot discuss whether Capita, or any other organisation, is subject to an investigation or anything in relation to debarment, but there is now a lever at the Government’s disposal.
Verdict: RED (14/100) DEFERRED
The reply does not give a committed answer to most of the question. It gives no timescale for clearing the backlog and says nothing about recovering the department's costs from the contractor, so those points were not addressed. On the contractor's accountability, it names the Procurement Act 2023 as a way to consider poor performance, but this applies to future contracts, and it gives no decision date or clear answer on whether Capita is under investigation or facing debarment. On compensation, it defers the matter by offering to look at an individual case if the MP writes in, without any timescale. A member of the public would likely need to submit a follow-up to get the specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the timescale for clearing the backlog of cases, including those over 100 days old? | Not Addressed | Generic | No statement gives a timescale for clearing the backlog or addresses the over-100-day cases; statement 3 only says one constituent's case should already have been resolved. |
| Are there meaningful sanctions available or being applied against the contractor responsible for the backlog? | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply names a concrete mechanism, the Procurement Act 2023's ability to consider poor performance, but it applies to future contracts rather than sanctions against the contractor for this backlog, so it only partly answers the question. |
| When will the Government decide whether Capita can be prevented from bidding for other Government contracts? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply gives no decision date and declines to say whether Capita is under investigation or subject to debarment, offering only a general description of the Procurement Act lever without stating a reason for the refusal or when a decision will be made. |
| Could the Department recover (claw back) from the contractor the money it is spending on putting the backlog right? | Not Addressed | Generic | Nothing in the reply addresses recovering the department's costs of remedying the backlog from the contractor; the 'lever' mentioned relates to future contract awards. |
| When will compensation be paid to constituents who have waited a long time for their payments? | Deferred | Hedged | The reply defers the matter by offering to look at the constituent's case if the MP writes in, without giving any timescale for compensation payments. |