Civil Service Pension Scheme

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Wednesday 21st October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

I present this petition regarding the severe delays in the administration of the civil service pension scheme. The petitioners request

“that the House of Commons urges the Government to take urgent action to restore a reliable pension service for current and former civil servants, by publishing its assessment of whether Capita met its 30 September commitment, setting out what action it will take following the missed 30 June deadline, prioritising bereavement cases”,

by setting a firm date by which all outstanding claims will be resolved, and strengthening oversight so that public servants are never again let down by a failing outsourced contract.

Following is the full text of the petition:

[The petition of residents of the constituency of Glastonbury and Somerton,

Declares that former civil servants in Glastonbury and Somerton, who have given decades of service, are being left worrying whether their pension will arrive on time; notes the situation of widowers who have been left for nearly a year without the pensions of their deceased spouses; further declares that since the Civil Service Pension Scheme transferred to Capita, many newly retired civil servants have been left without an income for months and struggling to pay their bills; further notes that Capita missed the Government's 30 June deadline to deliver the full terms of its £239 million contract, and that on 8 July 2026 its executives committed to Parliament to restore contractual service levels by 30 September 2026; further notes that Capita is still being propped up by a Cabinet Office recovery taskforce of more than 140 officials; and further declares that 1.7 million current and former public servants deserve the peace of mind that a pension earned through years of public service will be handled competently, fairly and with dignity.

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take urgent action to restore a reliable pension service for current and former civil servants, by publishing its assessment of whether Capita met its 30 September commitment, setting out what action it will take following the missed 30 June deadline, prioritising bereavement cases with a firm date for clearing that backlog, and strengthening oversight so that future public service contracts do not suffer the same fate.

And the petitioners remain, etc.]

[P003250]