Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have conducted an analysis comparing the per-member administrative costs of the (1) Civil Service Pension Scheme, (2) NHS Pension Scheme, (3) Teachers' Pension Scheme, (4) Armed Forces Pension Scheme, and (5) Local Government Pension Scheme, to comparable private sector schemes; and if so, whether they will place a copy of that analysis in the Library of the House.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) is a participant in an annual benchmarking of both public and private sector pension schemes, provided by an external supplier for schemes willing to participate in the benchmarking survey.
The benchmarking outlines the CSPS administration, compared to a peer group of 11 schemes of similar size and nature , including those mentioned in the question.
The benchmarking report contains information on the ‘per member costs’ associated with the CSPS, benchmarked against the 11 peer groups.
As was the case under the previous administration, these annual benchmarking reports are not published.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Civil Superannuation Annual Report and Accounts 2023–24, published on 18 December 2024 (HC 481), what proportion of the £12.2 billion reduction in the total liability of the Civil Service Pension Scheme was attributable to the change in the discount rate from 4.15 per cent to 5.10 per cent; and whether they will publish a breakdown of the liability reduction that is attributable to (1) discount rate changes, (2) demographic assumptions, and (3) benefit payments.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The accounts are prepared under the financial reporting manual (FReM) and there is no requirement to disclose the breakdown of the liability reduction that is attributable to discount rate changes or demographic assumptions. The effect of benefit payments on the liability are set out in note 19.4 on page 52 of the Civil Superannuation annual report and account for 2023-24.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of the 10 highest-value call-off contracts made through Crown Commercial Service management consultancy frameworks, including but not limited to MCF3, since the start of the 2022–23 financial year; and, for each contract, whether they will include the supplier, customer department, contract value, date and a brief description of the work commissioned.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This information is not held by the Cabinet Office.
It is the responsibility of individual customer departments to publish their contracting information.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to Civil Superannuation Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24, published 18 December 2024 (HC 481), what factors explain the increase in administrative costs in 2023–24 compared to 2022–23, and whether they will provide a breakdown of cost drivers for material elements of that increase.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The increase in the administration cost is driven by the future services procurement programme aimed at supporting the transition to a new scheme administrator by December 2025, and the 2015 remedy programme that addresses and removes the age discrimination in the transition from older public sector pension schemes to the new Career Average Revalued Earnings (CARE) scheme.
Further details of both projects can be found in the Civil Superannuation Report and Accounts for 2023-24. There is no requirement to provide a breakdown of these cost drivers in the annual report and accounts.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the should-cost model or equivalent in-house delivery estimate used to inform the decision to outsource each of the five highest-value outsourcing contracts awarded by central government since the start of the 2022–23 financial year.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Under the Procurement Act 2023, central government departments are required to publish a pipeline notice which sets out what they are intending to procure over an eighteen month period- this will cover the re-procurement of some current services. This is available in the public domain on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally beyond what is set out on the platform.
The Cabinet Office does not centrally collate all delivery assessments that inform the decision to outsource the highest-value contracts awarded by central government.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they hold, or intend to produce, any estimate of the value of central government expenditure on services delivered by external providers on behalf of departments that are due to be retendered or to expire in each of the next five financial years.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Under the Procurement Act 2023, central government departments are required to publish a pipeline notice which sets out what they are intending to procure over an eighteen month period- this will cover the re-procurement of some current services. This is available in the public domain on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally beyond what is set out on the platform.
The Cabinet Office does not centrally collate all delivery assessments that inform the decision to outsource the highest-value contracts awarded by central government.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to Civil Superannuation Annual Report and Accounts 2023–24, published 18 December 2024 (HC 481), why no individual losses of the 11,118 write-offs are itemised or described, and whether they will place in the Library of the House a breakdown of all of those cases exceeding £75,000, including the cause of loss and any recovery action taken.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As stipulated in Managing Public Money and the Government Financial Reporting Manual, disclosure requirements only require entities to provide specific details of individual cases over £300,000. There were no individual losses in excess of £300,000 in 2023-24 (2022-23: nil).
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 13 May (HL6920), what estimate the Infected Blood Compensation Authority has made of the projected fraud rate for the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme; and what assumptions underpin that estimate.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
IBCA continues to work closely with the Public Sector Fraud Authority to undertake Fraud Risk Assessments and then to implement appropriate counter-fraud mitigations and controls. I refer noble Lords to my answer (HL5057) on 6 March.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any permanent secretaries have break clauses in their contracts; and whether the inclusion of a break clause within a civil service contract is compatible with the civil service management code.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As with standard Senior Civil Service contracts, the employer and/or the employee can terminate employment by giving notice. This is compatible with the civil service management code.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the time commitments for the posts (1) Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Chair, (2) First Civil Service Commissioner, (3) Commissioner for Public Appointments, (4) Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, (5) Chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body, and (6) Chair of the Security Vetting Appeals Panel.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The anticipated time commitments for the various posts are as follows:
Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments - two to three days per month
First Civil Service Commissioner - three days per week
Commissioner for Public Appointments - two days per week
Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards - the time commitment is unspecified and varies according to workload
Chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body - on average, 25 days per year
Chair of the Security Vetting Appeals Panel - 40 days per year