Question
What should I say to my constituent, a stage 4 cancer patient, who applied for his civil service pension in April and has heard nothing? What should I say to him about the fact that, as his Member of Parliament, I wrote about his case to the Cabinet Office on 26 August—two months ago today—and have equally had no reply and heard nothing?
Answer
I am sorry to hear that the hon. and learned Member has not had a reply from the Cabinet Office; I will chase that as a priority when I leave the Chamber. I receive correspondence daily from Members across the House and I get on with them as quickly as possible, so I am unsure why something sent on 26 August has not come to me yet. I will chase that immediately. According to Capita’s own deadline, the case the hon. Member describes is something that should have been resolved by 1 September, so when I receive the correspondence, I will ensure that it is chased appropriately.
Verdict: AMBER (63/100)
The reply gives a direct, committed response on the unanswered 26 August letter: it apologises, says it is unclear why the letter has not reached the Minister, and commits to chasing it immediately. On the delayed case, it gives a concrete date (Capita's own deadline of 1 September) and a commitment to chase, but it does not say what the MP should tell the constituent, who has stage 4 cancer and has had no response since April. The MP would therefore have a clear action on the letter but would likely need to return for guidance on what to say to the constituent.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What should the MP say to a constituent with stage 4 cancer who applied for his civil service pension in April and has received no response? | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply acknowledges the delayed case, notes Capita's own deadline of 1 September for it, and commits to chasing it, which gives the MP something concrete to act on. However, it never says what the MP should tell the constituent, who has stage 4 cancer and has had no response since April, so the core 'what should I say' element is only partly answered. |
| What should the MP say to the constituent about the MP's letter to the Cabinet Office of 26 August, which has also received no reply? | Addressed | Direct | The reply directly addresses the unanswered 26 August letter: it apologises for the lack of reply, says it is unclear why the letter has not reached the Minister, and commits to chasing it immediately and ensuring appropriate follow-up. This gives a concrete, actionable response to what the MP should say about that letter. |