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12,832 spoken contributions under 12 words (interjections such as “Will the hon. Member give way?”) are hidden. Show them

1. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

   Civil Service Pensions

   I am sorry to hear about the experience of the hon. Lady’s constituent, Diane. It is just one of many, many cases that we have heard about where the outcome is totally unacceptable. The Chief Whip was on the phone to me this morning about her constituent, Lisa, who is also facing similar problems in getting anything out of Capita. The hon. Lady asked what I am doing to make sure that Capita lives up to its promises on the most recent rectification plan. As I said, Cabinet Office officials are now in the Capita systems every single day, which has given us the ability to challenge the organisation in a way that we have not been able to do before. If we do not start to see progress each fortnight, as we publish those results, I will have the Capita CEO back in and I will continue to hold Capita’s feet to the fire. All options remain on the table contractually. It is in Capita’s interest, frankly, to pull its socks up and do a better job. On debarment, I really cannot comment on anyone that may or may not be subject to consideration or investigation under the Procurement Act. However, I think that most hon. Members would recognise that Capita has done a pretty poor job. It is not its first rodeo either—I will leave that there. I will take away the hon. Lady’s point about inflation-linking and write to her, and I am happy to meet her to discuss it further.

   Hansard source
2. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

   Civil Service Pensions

   In terms of the timelines, I do not want to set a date here today and end up with there being disappointment. However, now that the figures are going to be released every fortnight, if we do not start to see pretty rapid improvement over the next month, I will come back to this House and explain the next steps that might be taken.

   Hansard source
3. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

   Civil Service Pensions

   I thank the hon. Member for meeting me last week to discuss this really important issue. The relatively small figure of around 10 that I gave to him is in relation to a very specific category of families who are at or beyond the 18-month point. Cabinet Office officials are working to ensure that they are dealt with as quickly as possible, but if it ends up looking like the rectification plan is not going fast enough and more people will fall into scope, I will of course take further action. I have also liaised with His Majesty’s Treasury on this issue.

   Hansard source
4. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

   Civil Service Pensions

   Due to some commercial and legal sensitivities, we will not be able to publish the Grant Thornton report. However, we will make it confidentially available to the Public Accounts Committee and the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. I will work with the trade unions on any future plans that we might have for the scheme, and I am happy to work further with the PCS parliamentary group. The Synergy contract did not fall in the remit of the Cabinet Office—it was with the Department for Work and Pensions—but I am sure that my right hon. Friend’s comments have been heard.

   Hansard source
5. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

   Civil Service Pensions

   Of course, the contract and the procurement were done under the last Government. In relation to accountability, the immediate priority for me and the Cabinet Office is getting this crisis resolved and making sure that all constituents get the pensions they should have. There will of course be lessons learned, and I will look into that personally, but the priority at the minute is getting people their pensions.

   Hansard source
6. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

   Civil Service Pensions

   I am sorry to hear of the experience of my hon. Friend’s constituent, which is particularly terrible. I encourage him to write to me about it, so that I can look into it. As for bringing the scheme back in house, we are looking at all the different in-house options at the minute; we have a team doing that. We are working with the trade unions and other experts on it, but I am really clear that Capita needs to clean up this mess; it will not be the UK taxpayer who pays to do it. We will make sure that we recoup any costs of the additional support that we have provided.

   Hansard source
7. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

   Civil Service Pensions

   I am sorry to learn of the terrible experience of the hon. Member’s constituent; there are many more like it. If she would like to write to me about that, I would be happy to look into it. I will continue to hold Capita to account. We have withheld nearly £10 million of contractual payments, and Capita is voluntarily invoicing a 10% reduction in its fee until the service is restored to an appropriate level.

   Hansard source
8. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

   Civil Service Pensions

   I agree with my hon. Friend that Capita’s performance has been absolutely abysmal. There are no excuses for it, and I will make no excuses for it and its terrible performance. I have more confidence in the rectification plan I outlined today, purely because of the involvement that Cabinet Office officials and experts have had in it, and because they now have access to the Capita systems and data, which they did not have before. That will allow us to properly hold it to account. On bringing the scheme in house, it is a manifesto commitment that we will have the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation. I am committed to that, as is everyone on the Labour Benches. I will continue to update the House on progress made on this policy.

   Hansard source
9. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

   Civil Service Pensions

   I thank the right hon. Member for meeting me recently and raising her constituency cases. I will ensure that I identify those four cases, follow them up personally, and get back to her as soon as possible. I am sorry to hear that she struggled to get an appointment at the surgeries. I will work with my officials to see if there is any way that we can increase capacity, so that everyone can get the appointment that they need.

   Hansard source
10. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I thank my right hon. Friend for his question, for all the work he did up to the summer on appointing the remedial advisers, and for all the help he has given me since. I will absolutely make sure that the right preparation work is done on any insourcing options, so that when people in the civil service retire, they can have confidence that the scheme we end up choosing is the right one for them.

    Hansard source
11. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I do not accept at all that this is not a meaningful plan. I set out in some detail the measures and the resources that the Cabinet Office is putting in to get this whole process back on track, so that it delivers for scheme members. Many former colleagues of mine have been affected. Everybody is working night and day to try to rectify the situation. As I said, we are looking at all options for insourcing, but we do not want to do anything that will bring further disruption for scheme members. Everything we do must be member-led and in their interests, but of course we are looking at all the options. Significant work is going into contingency planning and future options for the civil service pension scheme.

    Hansard source
12. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I am sorry to hear about the experience of my hon. Friend’s constituent. It is absolutely disgraceful that they have been treated that way by Capita. If she could write to me with the details of that case, I am happy to look at it, and to see if there is any further assistance that I can provide.

    Hansard source
13. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I believe that Cabinet Office officials are now working in lockstep with Capita to ensure that it delivers against the new rectification plan, which was recommended by the remedial adviser. As I have said, we will be able to see on a fortnightly basis how Capita is doing in bringing down the case numbers, and that should give some indication of the service recovery level. If it is not up to scratch—we will know whether that is the case in the coming weeks—I will of course update the House on any further action that we can take to improve the service.

    Hansard source
14. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I am sorry to hear of the experience of my hon. Friend’s constituent. There are no excuses for that. According to the deadlines that Capita sets itself, the case should have been resolved by now. If my hon. Friend will write to me, I will take it up with the chief operating officer of Capita. I would be happy to have a further conversation with my hon. Friend about what we are considering in respect of compensation, but the Pensions Ombudsman is obviously aware of what is happening with Capita, and a number of people will want compensation for their loss of income and the impact that has had on their life.

    Hansard source
15. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    If the hon. Member writes to me with the details of that case, I will look at it myself and ensure that it is passed to my private office as well. I am sorry to say that this is the experience of many scheme members because of the failure of Capita. It is not acceptable, and we are working day and night to ensure that Capita is held to account and the service is improved.

    Hansard source
16. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I will continue to challenge Capita about that. I have already done so, particularly in relation to correspondence from Members to which its responses have not been acceptable. If my hon. Friend will write to me about any specific cases, in particular the one that he has mentioned, I will happily put that in front of Capita myself.

    Hansard source
17. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I set out in my statement how we are taking responsibility, holding Capita to account and ensuring that it fulfils its contractual obligations. For legal and commercial reasons, I cannot discuss other Government contracts in the House right now, or who might be subject to debarment under the new procurement law—I made that clear in response to earlier questions. We are now moving to a member-led approach and dealing with the most complex cases first. We will be able to see that on the fortnightly update to the website, where members will be able to see cases going down. We will mark progress against that by looking at the cases on the website and the updates that Capita sends me, and by seeing the improvements. If those improvements do not start to materialise in the coming weeks, I will return to the House with what further actions we may take.

    Hansard source
18. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    We have already withheld nearly £10 million in contractual payments, and Capita is voluntarily taking 10% less in its monthly payments. On bringing the service in-house, it is important that we get this right, do it at the right time and ensure that we pick the best model for the scheme, so that service members do not have to suffer any further. We are liaising with trade unions, pension experts and others to look at the options for different types of models, and I will return to the House when I have further updates on that.

    Hansard source
19. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    We are committed to ensuring that no member is left financially worse off, and Capita has committed to paying interest on late payments. All complaints will be handled with reference to the Pensions Ombudsman standards. Compensation can be awarded following investigation under the internal dispute resolution procedure—first by Capita and then by the Cabinet Office. If members are not satisfied, they can then refer to the Pensions Ombudsman. On tax, it is difficult to comment on individual cases. If the hon. Gentleman is aware of a specific case and would like to raise it with me, I will liaise with His Majesty’s Treasury to ensure that no one is negatively impacted.

    Hansard source
20. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    The Cabinet Office is leaning in, but I want to be absolutely clear that Capita is still responsible for the contract and is still accountable for the delivery of any rectification plan. All options remain on the table and, as I have said, we are looking at different in-house models for this scheme, in line with our manifesto commitment to have the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation.

    Hansard source
21. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    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.

    Hansard source
22. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I am sorry to hear about the experience that my hon. Friend’s constituent has had, as have the constituents of so many in this House. On compensation, as I have set out, we are absolutely determined that no member will be worse off as a result of Capita’s failure. The Government are determined to recoup every single penny we have had to spend helping Capita to resolve the failures, which it should have been able to do itself. On her constituents being able to claim compensation, I will come back to this House at a later date once we have this under control, and I will be happy to answer further questions on that. However, as I have set out, complaints will be handled in reference to the Pension Ombudsman standards.

    Hansard source
23. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    There is a focus on complex cases, but alongside that Capita is working to do incoming cases on a live basis, particularly those relatively easy to resolve. It is actually processing more cases than it is getting in, but because of the significant backlog and the high number of complex cases, it still will not feel like a good service to many members.

    Hansard source
24. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I thank my hon. Friend for raising his constituent’s case. As I said in my statement, I will come back to the House in the next month or so to give an update on the McCloud remedy. Capita has completed the discovery phase, but due to delays and the identified complexities in the remaining cohorts, it is not clear whether the initial date is achievable. I will come back and update the House on what more we will be doing to ensure that his constituents and others get the pension they are entitled to.

    Hansard source
25. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I am sorry to hear of Elizabeth’s experience. It is totally unacceptable, as are so many of the cases that we have heard about today—and so many that we will not hear about, too. As the hon. Member will know, the Cabinet Office supplied nearly 150 staff in a surge team to help support Capita in processing the backlog. We also now have senior Cabinet Office officials working every single day with Capita to ensure that it is dealing with the complex cases that need serious expertise to be processed. We will continue to support Capita in any way we can. The remedial report noted that the technology let Capita down in a big way. It has now put some further resource and money into the technology, so automation should help process some cases faster. The biggest learning from the report is that while Capita said it would be an AI-enabled pension scheme, that just was not the reality.

    Hansard source
26. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    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.

    Hansard source
27. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    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.

    Hansard source
28. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I share my hon. Friend’s disgust. I will look into that case to ensure that Capita finds the paperwork, or if it must be re-sent, that it is actioned immediately. As my hon. Friend said, it is indicative of Capita’s total and utter incompetence. We need to bear in mind that this is why it is important that we stick to our manifesto commitment to have the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation.

    Hansard source
29. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    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.

    Hansard source
30. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I agree with my hon. Friend: Capita has been abysmal, as I have said a few times now. It is for that reason that my predecessors in the role held back nearly £10 million in contractual payments to Capita—a move that I supported. Capita, on a voluntary basis, is now receiving 10% less on its monthly payments because it recognises that its service is wholly inadequate. All other options remain on the table. I will monitor the outcome of the new rectification plan on a fortnightly basis and return to this House if it is not good enough.

    Hansard source
31. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    No, it is not acceptable, and if the hon. Member flags that case with me, I will ensure that it is chased. I will not make excuses for Capita’s poor performance; it is accountable for its performance, and frankly it should be ashamed.

    Hansard source
32. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I hope that Capita is listening to the pain and hardship that it has caused so many thousands of dedicated public servants up and down this country. The new rectification plan that is being done with Cabinet Office officials means that we should hopefully see some improvement. We will be monitoring that on a fortnightly basis, since Capita will now be publishing the numbers. I will keep a close eye on that and ensure that the House is updated.

    Hansard source
33. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I myself was not confident in the numbers previously given by Capita, as I said to its face after 1 September, when it claimed to have met its self-imposed deadline, which did not reflect the experience of scheme members. We have today heard about cases that should have been resolved by that deadline, but which clearly were not. I agree that Capita has been, let us say, flaky with the truth on the reality of the numbers. The difference now is that Cabinet Office officials have access to those systems; they can go in, see for themselves exactly what is going on, verify the numbers and figures that Capita is providing and report back on that. The transparency of the new fortnightly updates means that we will be able to see those cases in all their glory and see whether or not the figures are coming down.

    Hansard source
34. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    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.

    Hansard source
35. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I will be discussing with the Department for Education the lessons that we have learned from this transfer. Capita has shown publicly how terribly it has been—you do not have to look far to find a constituent who has been affected by this. We absolutely must improve these services going forward, which is why we are exploring in-house models. We want to have a big wave of insourcing, because we can no longer be totally reliant on these companies that let us down time and again.

    Hansard source
36. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    If my hon. Friend writes to me with the detail of those two cases, I will, of course, be happy to look at them. What he raises is just another example of the poor service that Capita has provided—an indictment of its incompetence.

    Hansard source
37. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    Some of Capita’s classifications for cases—“workable cases” and that sort of carry-on—are not something that the Government ever recognised; that classification was not in the contract, and it is something that Capita has made up. I was very clear when I first met the CEO of Capita that I do not recognise that. Capita said that those bereavement cases would be resolved by 1 September. If any of those have not been resolved, then frankly that is a missed deadline. In relation to what further action we could take, as I have said, my predecessor already withheld £10 million in contractual payments. Capita is receiving 10% less each month on a voluntary basis while the service remains as poor as it is. The Government now have at our disposal the Procurement Act 2023, which allows us to take into account poor performance when regarding other contracts.

    Hansard source
38. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    My hon. Friend has raised a number of issues related to Capita and fought for his constituents on many occasions in the Chamber. As I set out, it will not be possible to publish the full remedial adviser’s report for legal and commercial reasons. However, we will be providing it confidentially to the Public Accounts Committee and the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. I will discuss with officials the possibility of bringing out a smaller version of it that can be made public, but the rectification plan that we have put in place is based on the recommendations of the remedial adviser.

    Hansard source
39. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I appreciate the points that the hon. Gentleman raised. The Cabinet Office is working with Capita on existing cases from MPs’ surgeries. The only hesitancy I would have is that the priority is to make sure that the service Capita is providing is improving. I could put lots more resources into this, but unless Capita is able to provide answers, produce a quote, and deliver people’s pensions, we will not see an improvement in the output that people are getting. We will absolutely keep under consideration what more we can do to help people, but I really want to hold Capita’s feet to the fire on this rectification plan so that we can get to a position where the surgeries are not needed any more because people are getting what they deserve.

    Hansard source
40. 26 Oct 2026·Parliament·Labour·Sally Jameson

    Civil Service Pensions

    I am sorry to hear of Kathy’s experience. What has happened to her and many scheme members up and down the country is not right. As I have said, we will not be able to publish the audit report in full for legal and commercial reasons, but we will provide it confidentially to the PAC and PACAC for their scrutiny. The remedial adviser’s report recommended the rectification plan that we have put in place. That has only just been put into place. In the coming weeks, we will monitor whether it is working. If it is not, we will take further steps. Nothing is off the table.

    Hansard source