Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people receiving the Civil Service Pension who had a reduction in their pension then received (a) an increased pension and (b) a lump sum payment following a further adjustment to their Guaranteed Minimum Pension since 2016.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The requested information is not available. The outcome of the Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) exercise was a single adjustment to a member’s pension. In a small number of cases a member’s pension may have been adjusted for other reasons and then subsequently changed again as a result of the GMP exercise.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Guaranteed Minimum Pension review in 2016, whether (a) notional or (b) payable additional State Pension was compared to Guaranteed Minimum Pension before the adjustments were made to civil service pensions.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Cabinet Office is not responsible for the pension arrangements of Equiniti. 26,715 of around 700,000 pensioner members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme were affected following the Civil Service Pension Scheme Guaranteed Minimum Pension reconciliation and rectification exercise.
Civil Service Pension Scheme members were provided with detailed information about the change to their pension, along with any lump sum underpayment due to the member. In cases where pensions had been overpaid the overpayment was written-off and future pension payments adjusted to the correct level. Members requesting a complete breakdown of the calculations supporting these figures, following receipt of the detailed information about the change to their pension, were provided with the complete breakdown.
The reconciliation exercise compares member data held by the scheme with records held by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Where there is a discrepancy between the data sources the reason is investigated in order to reconcile the scheme data with the HMRC data which may result in changes to pensions in payment. Consideration of notional or payable Additional State Pension is not relevant to the reconciliation exercise.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has provided Civil Service Pensions with all the necessary information relating to Guaranteed Minimum Pension for all pension holders.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Cabinet Office is not responsible for the pension arrangements of Equiniti. 26,715 of around 700,000 pensioner members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme were affected following the Civil Service Pension Scheme Guaranteed Minimum Pension reconciliation and rectification exercise.
Civil Service Pension Scheme members were provided with detailed information about the change to their pension, along with any lump sum underpayment due to the member. In cases where pensions had been overpaid the overpayment was written-off and future pension payments adjusted to the correct level. Members requesting a complete breakdown of the calculations supporting these figures, following receipt of the detailed information about the change to their pension, were provided with the complete breakdown.
The reconciliation exercise compares member data held by the scheme with records held by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Where there is a discrepancy between the data sources the reason is investigated in order to reconcile the scheme data with the HMRC data which may result in changes to pensions in payment. Consideration of notional or payable Additional State Pension is not relevant to the reconciliation exercise.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many pensioners with (a) Civil Service Pension and (b) Equiniti had their pensions reduced following the Guaranteed Minimum Pension reconciliation exercise undertaken between 2016 and 2019.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Cabinet Office is not responsible for the pension arrangements of Equiniti. 26,715 of around 700,000 pensioner members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme were affected following the Civil Service Pension Scheme Guaranteed Minimum Pension reconciliation and rectification exercise.
Civil Service Pension Scheme members were provided with detailed information about the change to their pension, along with any lump sum underpayment due to the member. In cases where pensions had been overpaid the overpayment was written-off and future pension payments adjusted to the correct level. Members requesting a complete breakdown of the calculations supporting these figures, following receipt of the detailed information about the change to their pension, were provided with the complete breakdown.
The reconciliation exercise compares member data held by the scheme with records held by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Where there is a discrepancy between the data sources the reason is investigated in order to reconcile the scheme data with the HMRC data which may result in changes to pensions in payment. Consideration of notional or payable Additional State Pension is not relevant to the reconciliation exercise.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment has the Prime Minister made of the adequacy of the standards of probity in public life.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Her Majesty’s Government is committed to maintaining high standards of conduct and probity, whilst making improvements where necessary to policies and processes which help support this.
There are a range of mechanisms in place to maintain and drive up standards, including Codes of Conduct (such as the Ministerial Code, Civil Service Code, Special Adviser Code), policies and guidance (such as Managing Public Money), and bodies and offices charged with overseeing aspects of government activity (for example the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and the Civil Service Commission). The Committee on Standards in Public Life also issues regular reports with ideas and recommendations for the Government and other public bodies to consider.
I also refer the Hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 16 December 2021, Official Report, HCWS500, on the Government's anti-corruption strategy work.