Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 5
5
The Department has not been sufficiently transparent to Parliament about the State Pension underpayments.
Conclusion
The Department has not been sufficiently transparent to Parliament about the State Pension underpayments. Until recently, the Department has been reluctant to provide details of the volume or value of State Pension underpayments or the backlog in processing new State Pension applications to the general public or Parliament. We note that the Department’s routine position is that it does not have the information even when some details are available or may be obtained without excessive cost. Despite a campaign by the former pensions minister, Sir Steve Webb and ThisisMoney.co.uk, from January 2020, the Department did not consider underpayments to be a significant issue until August 2020, meaning that it missed opportunities to identify and resolve the problem sooner. Recommendation: The Department should provide periodic updates to this Committee and the Parliament on the progress of the State Pension LEAP exercise and the speed of processing the backlog in the new State Pension.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 5.2 The department agrees with the recommendation, but disagrees with the overall conclusion, given it has already committed to providing updates on the progress of the Legal Entitlement and Administrative Practices (LEAP) exercise. The last update on Gov.uk was published on 24 March 2022. The department has committed to providing a further update at the next fiscal event.