Civil Service Pension Scheme: Administration

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Wednesday 4th February 2026 Westminster Hall

[Lorraine Beavers]

I do agree with you; it is completely unacceptable.

[Emma Lewell (in the Chair)]

Order. I remind Members that when they say “you”, they are referring to me. It is the same convention as in the Chamber.

[Lorraine Beavers]

I apologise, Ms Lewell.

The scheme cannot even say how many people are still waiting for their first pension payout. From what we are hearing, it is clearly thousands. Behind those failures are real people. I want to share some examples of constituents who have agreed that their cases may be raised.

John was a prison officer for 25 years. He has been receiving just a fraction of his pension for several months. He was left on hold for two hours in December, only to be told that there was nothing Capita could do about it. Robert emailed to tell me that while the loan system is seen as a lifeline by many, Capita seems to be completely unequipped to deal with it. He says that some of his former colleagues are even being directed to charities and Citizens Advice.

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[Lorraine Beavers]

This problem has a long history. Pensions administration used to be done in-house. In 2012, it was moved out as part of the wider push to outsource services. Over time, Government control was sold off and MyCSP came to an end in 2025. The new contract was awarded quietly, despite known pressures from rising retirements and major legal pension changes.

Those decisions need to be looked at closely. PCS has called for Capita to focus first on hardship cases, including unpaid retirees, people about to retire, ill-health cases and bereavement. It has also called for proper compensation schemes to cover interest, extra costs and distress. Those are fair and reasonable demands.

Capita and senior officials have apologised and promised recovery plans. Apologies matter but they are not enough. When people are left without income, through no fault of their own, action must follow. There must be clear responsibility, updates and deadlines. Hardship cases must come first and resources must match the size of the problem. People must be compensated for the harm caused.

I have five questions for the Government. First, will the Minister ensure immediate financial support and fair compensation for all those affected? Secondly, will she publish a clear recovery plan with proper oversight? Thirdly, will she ensure that Capita pauses voluntary exit schemes, increases staffing capacity and dedicates every available resource to clearing this huge backlog for retirees? Fourthly, will she review how this contract was handled, including whether the service should return in-house? Fifthly, will the Minister restate a simple promise: pensions earned through public service must be paid on time and with respect?

Before the general election, my party promised Britain the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation. This farce has exposed just how important that promise was and remains. I urge the Labour Government to make good on that promise. Civil servants give their working lives to this country in good faith. When that trust is broken, it is not just unfair to individuals, it is a failure of Government that this House must address.

[Emma Lewell (in the Chair)]

We will need to keep Back-Bench contributions to three minutes. I call Ann Davies.

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[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Emma Lewell (in the Chair)]

Order. To ensure that all Members wishing to speak do get to contribute, I am reducing the time limit to two and a half minutes.

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[John McDonnell]

Will the hon. Member give way? He should not be allowed to get away with this.

[Emma Lewell (in the Chair)]

Order. It is obvious that the Member does not want to give way.

[John McDonnell]

He is not giving way because he will not admit responsibility.

[Emma Lewell (in the Chair)]

Order. It is up to the Member if he wishes to give way; he has made it clear that he does not wish to.

[Mike Wood]

I have already given way twice and I may give way later, but I need to get through my speech so that the Minister can reply, because I know that hon. Members will want to hear her response.

Philippa retired in May and suffered a nervous collapse triggered by pension delay. Tragically, Philippa died on Boxing day, so that is the very real human cost. Of course, the National Audit Office report did not stop with the failings of the final years of MyCSP’s contract. It also highlighted that Capita had failed to meet three of the six key transition milestones that were due by March 2025, all relating to scheme design and operational readiness. In other words, the warning signs were there in black and white. Ministers were on notice of the potential for serious problems, and of the consequences that those problems would have for pensioners, for at least the final half of 2025.

Oral Answers to Questions

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Wednesday 5th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the hon. Member for raising this issue, because it is a duty to increase our spending on defence and security, but it also provides an opportunity for jobs across the country—good jobs, well-paid jobs, skilled jobs, as he rightly identifies, and jobs with a real sense of pride, and we are working on that.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

Q15. My lovely grandad John Henry Richardson passed away in 1998 from work-related asbestos exposure. Today, in South Shields, we have one of the highest death rates from this silent killer in the United Kingdom. Will the Prime Minister look at introducing a national digital register so that we know where the asbestos is, and commit to a phased removal of it from public buildings?

[The Prime Minister]

I am sure that I speak for the whole House when I say that I am very sorry to hear what happened to my hon. Friend’s grandfather. These are just awful cases, and the deaths are terrible. I have no doubt that he was a wonderful man, and he would have been very proud to have seen her in her place today. I will ensure that she gets a meeting with the relevant Minister.

Ukraine

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Monday 3rd March 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising that point. We must not lose sight of the fact that the Russian economy is being damaged by the measures that we are taking collectively, particularly on sanctions, and we should have self-confidence in the ability of Europe to pull together, whether that is on military or financial issues, for the collective security of the defence of Europe. We have said many times that Europe needs to step up. Now is the time to step up; now is the time to lead. That is why I was pleased that in the last few days we moved things on a little in that regard.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

I thank the Prime Minister for his statement, and for his continued strong leadership. In contributing troops, drones and munitions, Russia’s allies remain active participants in Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. Will the Prime Minister please assure the House that alongside our allies we are closely monitoring Russia’s strategic partners during the ongoing peace efforts?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and we continue to do that. We need to bear down on Russia and all those who support Russia in this illegal war.

Oral Answers to Questions

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Thursday 24th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

It is very important that the voter ID system does not prevent people who have a legitimate right to vote from exercising their democratic right, so we are keeping it under review, and we are already making a change to make it easier for veterans to get the ID necessary to vote.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

T3. Will the duty of candour in the Hillsborough law apply to the 70-year-long nuclear test veterans scandal?

[The Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office (Nick Thomas-Symonds)]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question; she is a long-standing champion for justice for victims of the infected blood scandal and, indeed, the nuclear test veterans that she mentioned. We are looking to introduce a broad duty of candour—a general duty of candour. I should also point out that criminal sanctions will be really important to punish the most egregious breaches, and I am pleased to confirm today, as the Prime Minister announced in September, that the Bill we will bring forward will include criminal sanctions.

Infected Blood Compensation Scheme

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Tuesday 21st May 2024 Commons Chamber

[John Glen]

I cannot speak for the collective will of Government, but the hon. Gentleman makes a completely reasonable and logical case. I support the principles in what he says. We need to respond the report’s recommendations specifically, coherently and in full, and that is what we will do in due course.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

Yesterday’s apology and the compensation announced today is the beginning of justice for the thousands of lives lost and ruined. The Minister will know that Sir Brian Langstaff found “downright deception” and “an attitude of denial”, and that he was clear that the scandal has been no accident. Public service is an honour that comes with great responsibility. Individuals and organisations have failed in that responsibility and betrayed that honour. I heard the Minister’s earlier responses, but will he at least indicate to us when the Government will express a view on criminal charges?

Oral Answers to Questions

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Thursday 25th April 2024 Commons Chamber

[Alex Burghart]

I thank the hon. Member for Slough for turning up. I refer him to the answer I gave a few moments ago.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

7. What steps he is taking to support veterans with the cost of living.

[The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs (Johnny Mercer)]

The Government have successfully reduced inflation by more than half, making the cost of living more affordable for veterans, along with every other resident of the UK. Veterans in employment within six months of leaving service is at an all-time high—89%—and our recently launched Operation Prosper employment pathway will help veterans and their families to secure well-paying jobs in key sectors.

[Mrs Lewell-Buck]

Here are some facts. Veteran homelessness has risen by 14% over the last year. Seventeen per cent of veterans, and their families, are living in food insecure households. Over 80,000 veterans are having to claim universal credit just to get by. Despite the Minister’s claims of making the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran, it isn’t, is it?

[Johnny Mercer]

The hon. Lady says, “Here are some facts,” before reading out a load of things that are not correct. It does not change the facts of those situations. Last Christmas, under a programme designed by this Government, not a single veteran slept rough because of a lack of provision. The shadow Veterans Minister, the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Steve McCabe), has not even turned up to ask questions this morning, so I will take no lessons from Labour on veterans.

Going into this election, veterans are deeply nervous about what Labour’s offer might be. Again, these banal quotes about statistics are not correct. This is not a game. These are serious people who deserve the nation’s respect, and I encourage the Labour party to align with that.

Iran-Israel Update

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Monday 15th April 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I refer my right hon. Friend to my previous answers, and also remind him that the National Security Act 2023 creates new offences that give us the powers to arrest and detain people suspected of involvement in state threats on our soil.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

I share the hope for calm and de-escalation. The UN Secretary-General has said that, without it, the middle east faces

“a real danger of a devastating full-scale conflict”.

Can the Prime Minister tell us what the parameters are of UK military involvement in the region, and confirm that it will remain defensive?

[The Prime Minister]

I am not going to speculate on hypotheticals. As I said, we have sent additional jets and air refuelling tankers to bolster our existing operation in the region. We will obviously keep next steps under review.

Oral Answers to Questions

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Wednesday 10th January 2024 Commons Chamber

[Saqib Bhatti]

I hope that my colleague the Science Minister will be able to address the hon. Lady’s concerns at that meeting.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

6. What steps she is taking to increase access to AI skills training.

[The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Michelle Donelan)]

The Government have funded a broad package of AI skills initiatives through the education pipeline, to address the skills gap and to support citizens and businesses to take advantage of the wealth of opportunities that AI technologies provide. We have funded a new AI master’s conversion course and published draft guidance to help training providers develop business-relevant AI skills training.

[Mrs Lewell-Buck]

The defence AI strategy acknowledged an AI skills gap across the whole of defence and promised to work with industry to provide expertise in AI and develop a skills framework. That was two years ago. Where is it?

[Michelle Donelan]

The hon. Member does not quite grasp the magnitude of what we have done on this agenda. We have invested £290 million in it since 2018. We also recently published guidance to support businesses to adopt AI. We will continue to prioritise that area.

Oral Answers to Questions

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Wednesday 13th December 2023 Commons Chamber

[Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

2. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle inequality for disabled people.

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

9. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle inequality for disabled people.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Mims Davies)]

In July 2021, the Government set out our long-term vision in the national disability strategy. Over the summer, we consulted on the disability action plan, which will set out the immediate action that the Government are taking in 2024. Together with other relevant reforms being taken forward by my Cabinet colleagues, those measures seek to tackle inequality and improve the daily lives of disabled people.

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[Mims Davies]

That does not sound terribly fair at all. I am very interested in what the hon. Lady shares with the House. Of course, we have a Transport Minister answering questions today, so I am very happy for us to look at that issue for her. If she writes to me, I will see that the matter is looked at.

[Mrs Lewell-Buck]

Sense has found that, because of the Tory cost of living crisis, a large proportion of disabled people will not be seeing family, buying presents or even celebrating Christmas this year, yet the Government are ploughing ahead with changes that will ramp up sanctions and that could remove NHS prescriptions and access to legal aid for disabled people. Why, at every single opportunity, do the Government hit people with disabilities the hardest?

[Mims Davies]

I apologise, Mr Speaker, because the Transport Minister I mentioned is not coming today—they might be on the bus. I will pick up the issue raised by the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Cat Smith) in further responses.

The hon. Member for South Shields (Mrs Lewell-Buck) will know that we are making cost of living payments once again to support people in need. In fact, that support totals over £104 billion. If she is concerned for her constituents—and rightly so—she should definitely direct them to Help for Households, the benefits calculator on gov.uk, and the help to claim process. There is also the household support fund, which is about £1 billion this year. I hope she is satisfied that we are absolutely supporting the most vulnerable.

Veterans Welfare Services

Emma Lewell Excerpts

Tuesday 21st November 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab)]

The Minister has recently been shown evidence that blood testing was carried out on servicemen in the ’50s and ’60s—testing that the MOD denied existed. His response was to say that he could not do anything and that the nuclear veterans should sue the MOD. To dismiss those veterans in that way is a dereliction of his duty as Veterans Minister, is it not?

[Johnny Mercer]

I recognise the politicisation of the campaign on nuclear test veterans. The truth is that no one has done more than those on the Government Benches to deliver that medal, more than 70 years later, to our veterans who served.

There is no cover up; I have worked extensively with the Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families to uncover records in this space. Some records were taken, some were not. There is no cover-up policy to discriminate against that cohort. It is simply does not exist. What would be the reason to cover it up rather than look after these people? I have travelled halfway round the world to Fiji to meet them, to look after them, to give them their medals and to try to support them. I rally against the politicisation of this veterans cohort, who will of course continue to drive down this space. We all have a responsibility to act maturely and to ensure that they receive the answers they deserve after a very long time.