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To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes have been made in Capita's approach to existing and retired civil servants on pension problems since the commencement of the recovery plan.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes have been made in Capita's approach to existing and retired civil servants on pension problems since the commencement of the recovery plan.
The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and Gov.uk.
Capita is under a firm mandate to restore full service delivery to standard contractual levels by the end of June 2026. We are actively exploring the use of all available commercial and contractual levers and continue to withhold milestone payments for missed transition deliverables. All options remain on the table if they fail to meet the June deadline.
Since the commencement of the recovery plan, Capita’s operational approach has adapted flexibly to address priorities as they arise. To demonstrate the current focus, the published updates progressively change to establish which specific priorities are being actively tackled by the Recovery Task Force at any given time. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates
Capita were initially instructed to prioritise and clear the most urgent cases such as Death in Service and Ill-Health during February and March. While Capita previously assured us that performance standards for Death in Service and Ill-Health were being met by mid-March, recent information continues to demonstrate unacceptable delays in some ill-health retirement and death-in-service cases. We have urgently escalated this to Capita, who are actively investigating the underlying data and reasons for these continued delays.
Capita has issued lump sum payments to 16,776 retired members awaiting their regular pensions, whilst the scheme continues to pay approximately 730,000 existing pensioners on time. To alleviate immediate hardship, employers have issued £14.2 million in Transitional Support Loans to 2,612 members, alongside interest-free bridging loans ranging from £5,000 to £20,000. Members will fully repay these bridging loans upon receipt of their formal pension payments.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects to announce the Partnership Contingent Decision route in connection with the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects to announce the Partnership Contingent Decision route in connection with the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.
The CSPS launched the Contingent Decision process for members who opted out of the scheme in July 2025. However, the process for members who switched to the Partnership pension scheme involves additional complexity, requiring the reconciliation of contributions between defined contribution and defined benefit arrangements. Planning is underway to define the process and timeline, and we aim to open the process later in 2026.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will hold discussions with Capita on payments to existing and retired Civil Servants.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will hold discussions with Capita on payments to existing and retired Civil Servants.
Thank you for your question. The Minister for the Cabinet Office has met with the Capita CEO on this issue. Cabinet Office officials also have been and remain in daily contact with Capita to progress the recovery plan, and keep Ministers informed of progress regularly.
My hon Friend had better not!
My hon Friend had better not!
A couple of weeks ago at Prime Minister’s questions I raised the issue of a very young civil servant trying to access her pension as she has only months to live. It was an exceptionally difficult and heartrending story, but thankfully, because of the appearance of her case at Prime...
A couple of weeks ago at Prime Minister’s questions I raised the issue of a very young civil servant trying to access her pension as she has only months to live. It was an exceptionally difficult and heartrending story, but thankfully, because of the appearance of her case at Prime...
Q9
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Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP):
I have a constituent who, although not yet 30 years old, has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. She has been told that she has a very short time to live. Because of her condition, she was given a retirement date—she is a civil servant—which was just last week. She has not received notification of any actual pension payment, and she has spent long hours trying to contact Capita. HM Revenue and Customs has claimed that all outstanding documentation was supplied to Capita in November. I have written to the Chancellor, and contacted the MPs’ hotline and Capita, but the issue remains unresolved. Will the Prime Minister, along with the Chancellor, help to get the issue resolved immediately?
Q9
.
Mr Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP):
I have a constituent who, although not yet 30 years old, has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. She has been told that she has a very short time to live. Because of her condition, she was given a retirement date—she is a civil servant—which was just last week. She has not received notification of any actual pension payment, and she has spent long hours trying to contact Capita. HM Revenue and Customs has claimed that all outstanding documentation was supplied to Capita in November. I have written to the Chancellor, and contacted the MPs’ hotline and Capita, but the issue remains unresolved. Will the Prime Minister, along with the Chancellor, help to get the issue resolved immediately?
I thank the hon. Member for raising this case, and I am truly sorry to hear about his constituent. If he would not mind following up with the details of the case, I will make sure that it is dealt with urgently on behalf of his constituent.
There is a problem in our prisons across the United Kingdom. It is a two-spectrum problem, in that there is an increase in turnover, with prison officers leaving early, while the problem of the pension continues. Can the Minister increase the intensity of discussions with the POA to try to reach a more satisfactory outcome to which the Department and the prison officers concerned are amenable?
There is a problem in our prisons across the United Kingdom. It is a two-spectrum problem, in that there is an increase in turnover, with prison officers leaving early, while the problem of the pension continues. Can the Minister increase the intensity of discussions with the POA to try to reach a more satisfactory outcome to which the Department and the prison officers concerned are amenable?
The hon. Gentleman makes a fair point. We need to make progress on this issue, and we are determined to do so.
That this House honours the extraordinary loyalty and service of the Gurkha soldiers who have fought alongside British forces for over 200 years; notes with deep concern that thousands of Gurkha veterans who retired before 1 July 1997 remain trapped on inferior pensions under the outdated Gurkha Pension Scheme, leaving many in poverty here in the UK, including in communities such as Brecon where Gurkha veterans and their families have made an enduring contribution; condemns this longstanding injustice, which denies these veterans the full recognition and support they deserve; rejects the Government’s current transfer offer as wholly inadequate and financially punitive; believes that all Gurkhas, regardless of date of retirement, should be granted full access to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme on an equal, year-for-year basis; further believes that this ongoing discrimination against Gurkha veterans is a dereliction of the UK's moral duty under the Armed Forces Covenant; and calls on the Government to act without further delay to end this injustice and ensure that every Gurkha veteran receives the full and equal pension they have earned through their loyal service to the United Kingdom.
That this House honours the extraordinary loyalty and service of the Gurkha soldiers who have fought alongside British forces for over 200 years; notes with deep concern that thousands of Gurkha veterans who retired before 1 July 1997 remain trapped on inferior pensions under the outdated Gurkha Pension Scheme, leaving...
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Pension Schemes Bill will be introduced before the summer recess 2025.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Pension Schemes Bill will be introduced before the summer recess 2025.
The Pension Schemes Bill was introduced on Thursday 5 June 2025.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of occupational and state pension payments on eligibility for Carer's Allowance.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the impact of occupational and state pension payments on eligibility for Carer's Allowance.
I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 14 October 2024 to question UIN 6904, this outlines the interaction between Carer’s Allowance and State Pension. Personal pensions paid to the carer are not treated as earnings and therefore do not affect their Carer’s Allowance award. Some contributions to personal pensions can be deducted from earnings so as to calculate the net earnings figure for Carer’s Allowance purposes.
Social security is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to retain (a) doctors and (b) other health professionals, in the context of the abolition of the lifetime allowance on pension savings.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to retain (a) doctors and (b) other health professionals, in the context of the abolition of the lifetime allowance on pension savings.
The abolition of the lifetime allowance for tax-free pension saving incentivises senior doctors and other health professionals to continue their National Health Service work. Following extensive engagement with staff, the 10 Year Plan will set out a wide-ranging programme to improve staff retention, including for doctors. Alongside this, NHS England is leading targeted retention work through their NHS Retention Programme. This programme, coupled with the NHS People Promise, aims to improve the support that employers offer to their staff and build a more resilient and supportive workplace culture. It includes initiatives focussed on creating a flexible work environment, addresses career development opportunities, and seeks to enhance staff wellbeing. These elements are crucial in reducing attrition.
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on what would at any time in our recent history have been a timely debate. On the point about those 11.5 million people, most of
them in the lower socioeconomic groups, does he agree that it is all the more important that teachers and those...
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on what would at any time in our recent history have been a timely debate. On the point about those 11.5 million people, most of
them in the lower socioeconomic groups, does he agree that it is all the more important that teachers and those...
I commend the right hon. Member on this timely debate. He talked about timing. Does he agree that while successive Governments commendably maintained the triple lock on state pension contributions and entitlements, it will come under increasing pressure in the coming years? The timeliness of the debate in resolving that...
I commend the right hon. Member on this timely debate. He talked about timing. Does he agree that while successive Governments commendably maintained the triple lock on state pension contributions and entitlements, it will come under increasing pressure in the coming years? The timeliness of the debate in resolving that...
On the point about drugs, does the hon. Gentleman agree that the issue seems to be an increasing prevalence of drugs in our prisons, which makes the job of prison staff that he has eloquently outlined even more dangerous than it was 10 or 15 years ago? The campaign to...
On the point about drugs, does the hon. Gentleman agree that the issue seems to be an increasing prevalence of drugs in our prisons, which makes the job of prison staff that he has eloquently outlined even more dangerous than it was 10 or 15 years ago? The campaign to...
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that employers are aware of the need to make pension equalisation payments to those people entitled to receive such payments.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that employers are aware of the need to make pension equalisation payments to those people entitled to receive such payments.
The Government published a consultation response discussing Guaranteed Minimum Pension equalisation methods in March 2017, and guidance on Guaranteed Minimum Pension conversion and equalisation in April 2019.
The Government believes that schemes have a requirement to equalise in respect of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions and it is something they have been aware of, and should have been planning for, for many years.
That this House recognises the dangerous working conditions in the Prison Service; expresses concern at the increasing number of violent assaults on prison staff; believes that prison officers approaching the age of 70 should not be expected to deal with violent and dangerous criminals aged in their twenties, thirties and forties; considers the demands placed on prison officers, as uniformed emergency workers, to be similar to police officers and firefighters, who can retire at 60 in recognition of the unique nature of their roles; and calls on the Government to show its thanks and appreciation for our prison staff through practical action to improve prison safety, enhance terms and conditions and align prison officers' pension age with other uniformed emergency services.
That this House recognises the dangerous working conditions in the Prison Service; expresses concern at the increasing number of violent assaults on prison staff; believes that prison officers approaching the age of 70 should not be expected to deal with violent and dangerous criminals aged in their twenties, thirties and...
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have participated in pension auto-enrolment; and what proportion of those people have made additional contributions to their scheme.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have participated in pension auto-enrolment; and what proportion of those people have made additional contributions to their scheme.
8,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled and 1,760 employers have met their AE duties, from 2012 to 2019, in the East Londonderry constituency.
The success of Automatic Enrolment has transformed workplace pension saving. More than 10 million workers have now been automatically enrolled by over 1.5 million employers. Since the introduction of Automatic Enrolment, overall workplace pension participation has increased amongst eligible employees from 10.7 million in 2012 to 18.7 million in 2018.
In April 2017, approximately half of eligible private sector employees making a contribution were contributing at levels of 2% and over (above the minimum requirements at the time). Total minimum contribution rates have since increased in April 2018 and April 2019 to 8%. We are continuing to monitor the impact of those increases closely, including how this impacts on overall contribution rates and the savings behaviour of employees. The available data can be accessed in the Automatic Enrolment Evaluation report 2018 and can be found at the following link:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of employers who have not met their obligations to employees on automatic enrolment in pensions in the last three years.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of employers who have not met their obligations to employees on automatic enrolment in pensions in the last three years.
Automatic enrolment has been a great success, with over 9.9 million employees enrolled and more than 1.3 million employers having met their duties to date. Government has put in place a robust, proportionate compliance framework. This is administered by The Pensions Regulator, and includes detailed regulatory guidance about how to comply with the law.
The Regulator publishes quarterly bulletins where figures can be found on compliance and enforcement. These are at http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/doc-library/enforcement-activity.aspx.
The Regulator also publishes an annual commentary and analysis report which can be found at http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/automatic-enrolment-commentary-analysis-2018.pdf.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that information is provided to people in auto-enrolment pension schemes on the potential monthly contributions required to provide illustrative potential examples of monthly pension payments in retirement.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that information is provided to people in auto-enrolment pension schemes on the potential monthly contributions required to provide illustrative potential examples of monthly pension payments in retirement.
The Review of Automatic Enrolment in 2017 revealed that there is no consensus about future contribution rates and whether, when and to what level they might increase. As such, it is important that we understand the effects the planned increases will have, and to carry out further work on the adequacy of retirement incomes.
As part of the Government's 2017 Review of Automatic Enrolment, we looked at the theme of better engagement and how individuals can be better informed and enabled to plan for retirement. Pension providers increasingly offer online tools which offer fast, creative and cost-effective ways for providers to communicate with savers to help them plan. We welcome this investment, however there is more to do and the Review set out specific areas for the pensions industry and other partners to do build on and develop new initiatives. One area the Review examined was the role and examples of annual benefit statements which provide information to members about their pension saving, including important information to help members plan. One example of good practice included in the Review report was an approach that had been developed by industry and Ruston Smith, co-Chair of the engagement theme in the Review. Since the report was published that work has been continuing, and we welcome this as an example of industry taking the lead and working together to enable members to be able to plan for their retirement.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of firms that operate self-invested personal pension schemes for individuals which have ceased operating within the past two years.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of firms that operate self-invested personal pension schemes for individuals which have ceased operating within the past two years.
HMRC does not hold the information requested. HMRC does not hold information that allows them to identify self-invested personal pensions separate from overall personal pensions.