Committee publication · Correspondence · 14 May 2026
Correspondence with Scotland Public Pensions Agency regarding McCloud Remedy, dated 20 April 2026 & 8 April 2026
Summary
Correspondence between the Scottish Affairs Committee and Scotland Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) regarding implementation of the McCloud Remedy for public sector pensions. The Committee raised concerns about delays in issuing Remediable Service Statements (RSSs), with original March 2025 deadline extended to 2027. SPPA responds that it has prioritised simple cases and active members, with complex and ill-health retirement cases pending system development and tax handling capability.
Key findings
- Original RSS deadline of March 2025 has been extended to 2027; SPPA emphasises comparative delays across UK public sector schemes including NHS and teachers' pensions
- Fewer than 3% of ill-health retirees have received RSSs due to requirement for medical reassessment and additional system development; all ill-health retirees received correct pensions at retirement and can now elect to change benefits
- Simple cases and active members prioritised for RSS delivery to ensure SPPA can process member choices promptly once made; complex cases require additional data remediation and tax handling capability
- SPPA took deliberate decision to develop capability to process member payment choices quickly, contrasting with other administrators who issued RSSs without capacity for timeous implementation
- Committee seeks confirmation of specific 2027 completion date, numbers of individuals not confirming retirement intentions, and proportion of ill-health retirees who have received RSSs
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Stephen Pathirana, Patricia Ferguson MP, Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA), Scottish Affairs Committee, Government Actuary's Department, Police Scotland, UK Government
Notable line
“I feel it is important to reiterate, here, the public apologies I have made to our pension scheme members for the delays in delivering their Remedy choices.”
Key Quotes
“We have been made aware that the original deadline for issuing all RSSs was March 2025, and that this has since been extended to”
“I feel it is important to reiterate, here, the public apologies I have made to our pension scheme members for the delays in delivering their Remedy choices.”
“… the SPPA took the decision to deliver Remedy in a way that means we can process members choices to payment quickly once made.”
“We are aware from discussions that other administrators have taken the decision to issue Remediable Service Statements (RSS) without the necessary capacity or capability to put those choices into payment timeously.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗