The Civil Service Pensions Taskforce has issued its latest update on efforts to improve administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme. The update outlines a new recovery plan for Capita, updated performance figures, and revised timescales for the delivery of important projects, including the 2015 Remedy (McCloud) programme.
You can read the full update below and also find it on Member Knowledge Article
From Richard Vianello, Director, Civil Service Pensions
28 October 2026
Minister Jameson, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office gave an oral statement to Parliament on Monday 26 October regarding the Civil Service Pension Scheme. In it, she outlined Capita’s performance to date, and shared actions being taken to improve the service.
As I committed to you in my last update, I am writing to share with you the work the Cabinet Office team has been doing to ensure Capita delivers against a robust new Recovery Plan; what that means for members; and to set out detailed performance data, which we will publish on a fortnightly basis until Capita’s performance has stabilised.
Civil Service Pension Scheme members have been waiting far longer than is acceptable for their pension quotes, payments, or resolution of their enquiry. Whilst Capita is now processing the majority of straightforward cases within agreed Service Levels, and that is a genuine improvement, this has not translated into the lived experience for a significant number of members. There remain too many members whose quote or query is stuck in a queue. I am keenly aware of the profound impact this is having.
We discussed the emerging findings from the Remedial Advisor with Capita in September. It was clear that Capita’s Rectification Plan was not going to be sufficient to bring performance back in line with contractual expectations.
Rather than wait for the final report, a team of Cabinet Office officials have since been embedded alongside Capita’s IT and data teams, subject matter experts and project planners to support Capita to develop a revised workable and realistic Recovery Plan.
This is broken down into five workstreams which address all the delivery and technology deficiencies, rather than just the priority areas, which was the focus of the July Rectification Plan. We have been able to provide our operational delivery expertise to help Capita understand the full extent of outstanding work, and put in place actions that will enable recovery. Capita remains accountable for the delivery of the service, but we are doing everything in our power to catalyse that delivery and provide our members the service to which they have a right.
We have agreed with Capita a new approach to how we report data to members, which involves sharing information on all outstanding work, rather than subsets of priority cases, or in ‘workable’ or ‘non-workable’ status.
I want to acknowledge that the data I am sharing today refers to ‘cases’ rather than ‘members’. We know that an individual member may have multiple queries (cases) outstanding, and so the total cases does not reflect the total number of members affected (you may, for example, have a quote, a complaint and an MP complaint outstanding – these are three ‘cases’, but one member).
We also know that behind each case is a real person – a scheme member, their beneficiary or dependants – and we have been clear with Capita that the Recovery Plan must do the right thing for that member. We cannot, and will not, accept queries being left to one side because there is a skills, IT or data gap.
A key principle of this Recovery Plan is that we have told Capita they must fix the root cause of any delay, starting with the oldest cases. However, where a new IT solution, such as an automated process, successfully resolves an older case, newer cases with the same root cause should be cleared at the same time. Last week, Capita cleared two of the oldest cases via an IT change, which then enabled a further 650 quotes to be issued. The approach is therefore to tackle the oldest issue first, supporting members who have waited the longest, then applying that solution to all other cases with the same root cause.
Overall case numbers
We will share Management Information with you every fortnight. The slide below illustrates the position against a 5 October baseline, which is the date we agreed with Capita to start the new reporting arrangements. This showed that there were c.150k total cases outstanding. As above, this reflects cases, and not the total numbers of members waiting.
This baseline is a mix of complex payment related queries (30.5k); straightforward payment/quotes (13k); and non-payment related queries and complaints (107k). To put those figures in context, each week Capita receives c.20k new cases. The overall outstanding therefore represents around 7.5 weeks’ intake.
In the 3 weeks since 5 October, we have seen positive movement from this new plan.
For complex cases (workstream 1), there are 1,200 fewer cases which are more than 3 months old (now down to 20,600), and within that there are 500 fewer over 6 months old. While the total number of complex cases has increased, an increased proportion are under 3 months old.
For non-complex cases, including retirement quotes (workstream 2) these are being processed faster than they are coming in, and the total in progress has reduced. For context, the number in progress here is equivalent to around two and a half weeks’ intake.
For workstream 3, this is slightly reduced compared to the 5 October baseline of 106.9k. Improvements in this workstream are expected to follow improvements in workstreams 1 and 2, where complaints or queries are linked to resolving payments.
These numbers are not comparable to those you will have seen in previous updates, where we shared Capita’s Management Information on the number of specific areas of work (such as number of quotes) and/or focussed on the oldest cases in the priority areas. This is because we are now sharing data on all case types for core pensions activity, rather than specific subsets. As mentioned, the data represents cases, not individuals – there will be some duplication, especially with complaints and outstanding payments or quotes.
The Five Workstreams Recovery Plan
To clear the remaining outstanding cases, and build enduring operational capacity, we have worked to ensure that Capita has the following five Workstreams in place:
Workstream 1: Complex Cases Resolution
A case may be deemed ‘complex’ due to a data issue (i.e. missing information); a skills gap within Capita (i.e. insufficient staff trained with that skill set); or a process or IT gap (the system lacks the functionality to process the case). This is causing delays and Capita is therefore fixing these issues through:
- Data updates, from employers where member records are missing;
- IT fixes, to build the automation and calculator tools where needed;
- Skills/capability build, and/or recruitment to fill any areas of expertise requiring greater capacity.
As mentioned above, once Capita puts in place a new IT solution for an ‘old case’, it will be applied to any others with the same root cause, regardless of age; and will be used for any new intake too. This will prevent similar cases entering the ‘complex’ workstream and getting stuck in a queue. They should be a straightforward case to process in future.
Workstream 2: Business as Usual Priority Process
This workstream covers non-complex cases related to payments and quotes. Currently, Capita is processing more Business as Usual (BAU) cases than they receive. The total outstanding is therefore reducing. The aim of this workstream is to reduce BAU, and maintain outstanding work at a level that allows Capita to meet Service Level Agreement (SLA) standards. As part of the new approach, Capita will prioritise cases in date order.
Workstream 3: Normal Process – Other Cases and Complaints
As this workstream contains a large number of complaints, the way to drive this to an acceptable level is, again, to fix the root cause – such as to issue the outstanding quote, payment, query response. Once the issue is resolved, Capita can revert to the member regarding their complaint. There are also a large number of non-payment related queries. While operational focus at the start of recovery was rightly concentrated on urgent payments and vulnerable cases, Capita is now looking to clear this workstream through dedicated resources and expanded automation.
Workstream 4: Change Projects
There are a number of key pensions delivery projects, for example the 2015 Remedy (McCloud), which if members are affected, has an impact on a member’s pension choice. Other projects are standalone, for example Voluntary Exit Scheme payments. Workstream 4 will oversee these projects with ringfenced specialist teams, while ensuring BAU activities, such as Annual Benefit Statements, are delivered on time.
Workstream 5: Technology Integration
Underpinning the other workstreams is the technology/automation. This workstream will deliver the tools, calculators and better functionality for the scheme.
What’s next for complex cases
If your case is part of the complex cases cohort no action is needed on your part:
- You will receive a letter confirming that your case is one of the complex cases, which will outline the dedicated support in place.
- You will be given direct access to a dedicated specialist contact line.
- You will receive an update at least every 4 weeks until your case is resolved.
Capita will begin writing out to affected members this week.
2015 Remedy (McCloud)
Most members affected by the 2015 Remedy (McCloud) will receive their options at the quote stage. However, there are 98k members, 78k of whom have already retired, who are due an ‘immediate choice’. The 2015 Remedy (McCloud) work is part of the ‘projects’ workstream, set out above, and we are working with Capita to ensure members receive their options as soon as possible, however work has been delayed and the expected completion date of end March 2027 will not be met. Affected members will receive interest on any arrears due. We will update affected members, once we have a detailed delivery plan and agreed timescales, and the Minister has committed to updating Parliament.
Retirement Modeller
We are testing and assuring the retirement modeller, and will let members and employers know when it goes live in the Member Portal.
Next steps
I remain deeply sorry that performance is not where it should be, and for the impact this is having on so many of you. We are using all the commercial levers at our disposal to ensure Capita remains accountable for the successful delivery of this plan, and to return the service to the levels members deserve.
We will publish progress each fortnight, so you can see the impact that this Recovery Plan is having on performance. The first data set is covered in this update; the next update will be issued Thursday 12 November.
Richard Vianello
Director, Civil Service Pensions
