Public Sector Pensions

A number of constituents have contacted me about issues receiving their public sector pensions.

Civil servants who have given decades of service to this country have been left worrying about whether their pension will arrive on time due to failures by the provider Capita. My team and I have been working to support them in getting the money they are owed, but no one should have to chase a pension they earned through years of public service.

Repeated failures in pension administration are causing real distress. Those newly retired have told me they are struggling to pay bills and buy food, and are forced to dip into their savings because delays in the system have left them without an income for months.

What were first described as “teething troubles” is now a backlog of around 86,000 cases, and long delays are continuing. Warnings were raised well before the situation reached this point. The Public Accounts Committee in Westminster questioned whether Capita would be ready to take over full administration and warned about staffing levels and weak oversight.

Capita has since admitted there are serious problems, including delays to pension quotes and payments, long waits for customer service calls, and difficulties using the online system.

Alongside this, there are ongoing problems linked to the McCloud judgment, particularly affecting police officers and other public sector workers. Campaigners have highlighted how many people are still waiting for clear information about what they are owed. There are also reports that fewer than 3% of those who retired on ill-health grounds have received their McCloud-related statements.

It is deeply concerning that some people can’t get a retirement statement unless they first declare an intention to retire. How can anyone make such an important decision without knowing their financial position?

The Scottish Public Pensions Authority has responsibility and acknowledged difficulties during a very incisive session of the Finance and Public Administration Committee in Holyrood, but confidence in the system remains low. Firefighters and police officers, including some who retired due to injuries or illness linked to their service, are being left in limbo. I’m grateful to the work of a former colleague, Martin Gallagher and ‘The Job’s Forgotten’ campaign group for their work.

Civil servants and public sector workers have spent their working lives serving the public. They should not be failed by the systems meant to support them. I will continue pressing both the UK and Scottish Governments to fix these problems, clear the backlog and ensure people receive the pensions they are owed – in full and on time.