Question
West Dunbartonshire has one of the worst backlogs for civil service pension cases in the country. Although taskforce meetings help me keep constituents informed, the delays remain unacceptable. On top of that, I have found that many pension quotes are incorrect, requiring manual recalculation by Capita, whose revisions team is overwhelmed. My constituents are waiting too long for quotes that are often undervalued, or omit service years, or use incorrect pay rates. Is the Minister aware of these particular issues, and what steps will the Government take to address them?
Answer
I am sorry to hear of the experience that my hon. Friend’s constituents have had. It is totally unacceptable, and Capita has been totally unacceptable. As I said in my statement, its performance has been utterly abysmal, and those at Capita should hang their heads in shame at how they have treated dedicated public servants in this country. I will take up the issue that he raises with my officials to ensure that we are improving that part of the service, so that his constituents can get the correct quotes that they need.43% point-scoring
Verdict: RED (22/100)
The reply mainly expresses sympathy and criticises Capita's performance, but it does not clearly confirm the West Dunbartonshire backlog, manual recalculation, or undervalued quotes. Its only concrete commitment is that the Minister will raise the issue with officials, with no timescale or description of how the backlog or incorrect quotes will be fixed. Both parts of the question were addressed only in vague terms, so the constituent would likely need to ask again for specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is the Minister aware of the backlog in civil service pension cases in West Dunbartonshire, and of the incorrect pension quotes, manual recalculation by Capita, and undervalued quotes (including omitted service years and incorrect pay rates) affecting constituents? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply implicitly acknowledges the problem by saying it is sorry to hear of the constituents' experience and calls Capita's performance abysmal, but it never explicitly confirms awareness of the West Dunbartonshire backlog, manual recalculation, or undervalued quotes. Its engagement is mostly platitude and condemnation. |
| What is the department doing about the backlog of civil service pension cases and the incorrect pension quotes affecting constituents? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The only concrete action is that the Minister will take the issue up with officials to improve the service, which is a vague commitment with no mechanism, timescale, or description of how the backlog or incorrect quotes will be tackled. The rest of the reply is rhetorical condemnation of Capita rather than an account of what the department is doing. |