Civil service pension scheme to be examined by Public Accounts Committee
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hold an evidence session to examine civil service pensions at 3.30pm on Monday 7 July.
Meeting details
The administrator of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, which has around 1.7m members, has seen customer service complaints soar, almost doubling in the last nine years. Many are waiting far longer than they should for their queries to be answered and face delays in receiving their payments.
In a session with representatives of the Cabinet Office and MyCSP, the pension scheme administrators, MPs are likely to examine members’ increasing difficulties getting through to the scheme’s contact centre and ask why so many are having to wait to receive their payments.
Despite the rising number of complaints, just two financial penalties have been issued by the Cabinet Office to MyCSP, raising questions about the effectiveness of its ability to hold MyCSP to account. Questions could explore what lessons can be learned from the management of MyCSP as control of the system is transferred to Capita at the end of the year.
Due to take over in December of this year, Capita has already missed three key milestones in the transition, causing the Cabinet Office to withhold payments of almost £10m.The PAC may explore what contingencies are in place if Capita is not ready to take over by the end of the year, what role digitisation and automation could play, and if the Cabinet Office has sufficient levers in place to hold Capita to account. The session may also explore any implications of recently announced industrial action for the handover.