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Civil Service Pension Scheme
15 September 2026
Lead MP
Ian Byrne
Liverpool West Derby
Lab
Responding Minister
Sally Jameson
Tags
EconomyEmploymentBenefits & Welfare
Word Count: 10109
Other Contributors: 29
At a Glance
Ian Byrne raised concerns about civil service pension scheme in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
Byrne asked the Minister for three clear commitments: recovery, compensation, and accountability. He requested a firm dated timetable for returning the scheme to normal service, a clear and accessible route to compensation for financial losses, and a commitment to bring the administration of the civil service pension scheme back in-house. Dewhirst asks the Minister to clarify who authorised the go/no-go decision in November 2025, the criteria used for that decision, and to commit to publishing all related documents. He also inquires whether the Government will refer Capita to the Debarment Review Service to prevent it from continuing to bid for public contracts.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Ian Byrne expressed serious concerns about the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, highlighting cases of constituents who have waited for months to receive their pensions. He mentioned that in Liverpool West Derby alone, 35 people have contacted him with concerns. Byrne cited specific examples of civil servants who have faced delays in receiving their pension information, leading to financial and emotional distress. He also pointed out that Capita, the company contracted to administer the pensions, is failing its own staff, with 75% of workers considering leaving their roles due to poor working conditions. Charlie Dewhirst is concerned about the continued unresolved cases involving bereavement, death in service, and ill health, despite progress made in the civil service pension recovery plan. He criticises the Government for not taking action when it became clear that Capita was not meeting the required milestones for administering the pension scheme. He highlights that both the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee had warned about the risks before Capita took over the scheme administration.
Alex McIntyre discussed a constituent who lost her husband and struggled to secure her husband's pension due to poor service from Capita. Despite securing a lump sum, communication remained poor. McIntyre asked the Minister to outline steps to improve the situation.
Alison Bennett highlighted the distress and uncertainty caused by Capita's failure in pension administration, citing numerous statistics on delays in retirement, ill-health, death-in-service, and bereavement cases. She raised concerns about the impact on teachers and asked for measures to ensure competent, fair, and dignified administration of pensions.
Andrew Cooper
Ind
West Bromwich West
Capita's performance is unacceptable, with constituents waiting nearly 11 months for bereavement cases and receiving conflicting information from Capita. There is a need for clarity and action to resolve these issues.
Ann Davies
Lab
Conwy
Sarah Rees had not received her civil service pension a year after retiring. Her husband had to chase Capita 20 times for his quote and still did not receive it. Ann asks for details on the long-term strategy to bring the contract in-house and calls for compensation for financial costs.
Gosport
Caroline Dinenage highlighted the failure of Capita to meet its targets for clearing pension arrears and improving customer service levels. She provided a specific example of a constituent who had retired after 43 years of service but was still waiting for his pension forecast to arrive.
Danny Beales
Con
Newbury
My constituent Mark's case was taken off the tracker and then unresolved. Barbara had to fight six months for her late husband's pension, dealing with grief and financial stress. Public servants deserve a peaceful retirement, not battles with the system.
Deirdre Costigan
Ind
Newcastle upon Tyne East
Sarabjit and Inderjeet are experiencing significant delays in receiving their pensions, with Sarabjit waiting over a year and Inderjeet waiting five months since partial retirement. These delays are affecting real people's lives.
Edward Morello mentioned that about 8,500 retired civil servants have experienced delays or failures in their pension payments since Capita took over. He highlighted the hardship loans and data breach issues and called for rectification.
Euan Stainbank
Ind
Livingston
Capita has failed public servants, leaving cases unresolved and causing distress. Derek lost vital information on his wife's pension, and Tim's case has seen conflicting requests for documents, delaying his pension. Cases involving terminally ill individuals and prison officers are ongoing without resolution.
Gordon McKee
SNP
Glasgow North
A constituent worked all her life and booked a holiday for retirement but was unable to enjoy it due to Capita's incompetence. There is a power imbalance where retirees are owed money but are trapped in an indefinite wait.
Graham Stuart
Con
Beverley and Holderness
I highlighted cases of constituents in Beverley and Holderness who have been waiting for months to receive their pensions after decades of service, including Angela, Sally, and John, who retired in April 2026 but have yet to receive their pensions.
My hon. Friend agrees that the failure of the private sector in handling the pension scheme highlights the benefits of the Government taking control and in-sourcing the pension scheme to deal with the issue.
Imogen Walker
Lab
Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford
I discussed multiple cases of errors and delays in pension payouts, with one constituent experiencing a £27,000 mistake and unresolved tax code errors. Constituents feel their efforts and sacrifices are not being valued.
Jessica Toale raised a specific case of a constituent, Cally, who is still waiting for her survivor benefits after her mother's death due to Capita's failure to locate her mother's details. She highlighted the long wait times for pensions and the need for Capita to be unfit for the contract.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Serious questions must be asked about whether a thorough assessment of Capita's capability to manage the pension scheme was undertaken before the transfer, considering the backlog of cases and Capita's potential lack of readiness for the task.
John Grady
Lab
Cambridge
I highlighted the human costs of Capita's failures, noting that constituents who have given decades of service are now living in poverty and misery due to delays in accessing their pensions. I support the argument for insourcing to ensure constituents can have confidence in their pension access.
Hayes and Harlington
John Martin McDonnell thanked the Civil Service Pensioners' Alliance and the Minister for their work. He requested the full publication of the Grant Thornton audit report and called for a full inquiry into the awarding of the Capita contract.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
I presented a case of Mrs Gillian Pothecary, who lost her husband and is struggling to obtain a civil service widow's pension. Despite assurances, her pension has not been received, forcing her to dip into savings and work longer hours.
Lee Barron shared the case of a constituent who retired after 37 years of service but faced delays and uncertainty with Capita. He advocated for the insourcing of the pension scheme and the holding of responsible parties accountable.
Lee Pitcher
Ind
Warrington South
Capita's inefficiency is affecting constituents who have served for decades and are now living off savings or borrowing money due to delays. One individual has waited for his pension since September and has not received it, despite promises of resolution by the end of August.
Lincoln Jopp reported that only three out of 17 cases in Spelthorne have been resolved, with some residents waiting for their initial quotes and others facing pension payment issues. He emphasised the need for immediate resolution without further delay.
Lorraine Beavers demanded the Government to commit to insourcing the pension scheme and applying pressure on Capita to issue comprehensive finalisation statements. She also asked for clarification on who awarded the Synergy contract and for a compensation scheme for affected individuals.
Luke Myer
Ind
Helmshore
Capita's inefficiency is causing a financial and emotional impact on long-serving public servants. Examples include Anne-Marie from Brotton waiting for her pension for nine months, Ivan from Nunthorpe waiting three years to make his McCloud remedy choice, and Samantha from Marton still chasing the bereavement team for her mother's death payment.
Peter Prinsley
Con
South Ribble
My constituent gave 33 years of service to the Metropolitan police but did not receive his pension for six months, unable to fund his daughter through university and took out loans from the police. Adolfo Hernandez, Capita CEO, earns £1.6 million annually.
Sadik Al-Hassan
Con
North Somerset
A constituent faced five months of delays for a pension quote and still has not received payment. A bereaved widow, Carolyn, had to fight through administration to receive a widow's pension. MyCSP had my mother's name spelled incorrectly.
Susan Murray
Lab
East Renfrewshire
A constituent lost her partner in 2025 and was denied a hardship loan when reaching out for help. Susan asks for penalties applied to Capita and assurances that MyCSP's takeover will not repeat the Capita fiasco.
Terry Jermy
Ind
Great Yarmouth
My constituents are experiencing significant delays in receiving their pensions or resolving bereavement cases. One constituent with terminal cancer has been waiting months for his pension, and another has been trying to finalise his deceased mother's pension for two years. Many have had to borrow money to make ends meet due to delays.
In my constituency, constituents face delays of over nine months to receive their pension, and one terminally ill constituent's case was not fast-tracked. People wait over two hours for helpline assistance and receive conflicting information, with documents being lost. I agree that we should put more pressure on Capita and have stronger oversight by the Cabinet Office to improve accountability and invest in technology and data quality.
Solihull
I am concerned about the impact of Capita's failures on constituents who have dedicated years to public service and are now struggling to access their earned pensions. One constituent is experiencing delays while grieving the loss of her husband.
Government Response
Sally Jameson
Government Response
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dame Siobhain. I declare that I have a Capita Prison Service pension of six years, but I am 34 years away from my retirement age, so I do not have a current financial interest. I am also a member of the Prison Officers' Association. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool West Derby (Ian Byrne) for securing this debate and actively campaigning on this issue for his constituents. The continued poor experience delivered by Capita since it became the administrator of the civil service pension scheme on 1 December 2025 is abysmal, causing worry and distress to many public servants and their families. Capita has set a commitment to achieve full service level agreements from the end of this month and will be meeting senior Capita staff later this month to challenge them again. The Government are committed to ensuring that no member is left financially worse off, and all complaints will be handled in line with Pensions Ombudsman standards. A formal contract rectification plan submitted by Capita in July is being tested by a remedial adviser from Grant Thornton to determine whether Capita can realistically deliver its commitments. The Government have appointed a Government internal audit agency to undertake a deep review of Capita's operational arrangements between December and July. Over £100 million has been approved for interest-free transitional support loans to public servants, with more than 4,100 loans provided to date. The volume of outstanding MPs' correspondence has peaked at 2,200 open cases but has decreased slightly to 1,700. The Government are using all commercial levers to hold Capita to account, including withholding nearly £10 million in contractual payments for undelivered milestones and deploying auditors to get a full understanding of Capita's failure. Core operations are being propped up by 140 surge staff, and the number will increase if required. The Government will not permit Capita to reduce its own headcount until performance has improved. I am personally committed to continuing to work with the unions and will be meeting the Civil Service Pensioners' Alliance this week. I am committed to doing what needs to be done in terms of the long-term viability of the scheme, but it must be done in the interests of the members with no disruption. Capita, not the taxpayer, must pay for its mistakes. The Government will not accept further caveats or moving targets and will not accept continued poor delivery for current and former civil servants, who deserve better in their retirement.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.