Committee publication · Correspondence · 15 April 2026

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office relating to the Administration of the Civil Service Pensions Scheme, 14 April 2026

From: Public Accounts Committee

Inquiry: Civil service pensions

Summary

The Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary writes to the Public Accounts Committee and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee regarding a data breach affecting the Civil Service Pension Scheme Annual Benefit Statements. The Cabinet Office has notified the Information Commissioner's Office and is seeking assurance from Capita, the scheme administrator, on preventative measures and a comprehensive technical account of the incident's root cause.

Key findings

  • A data breach occurred involving the Civil Service Pension Scheme Annual Benefit Statements
  • The Cabinet Office has formally notified the Information Commissioner's Office of the breach
  • Capita, the scheme administrator, was instructed to provide assurance of steps to prevent recurrence
  • Capita provided an account to both committees on 8 April 2026
  • A comprehensive technical account from Capita regarding the breach's root cause is expected by 30 March

Tone

Factual

Topics

data-securitycivil-servicepensionsgovernance

Key actors

Catherine Little CB, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Simon Hoare MP, Capita, Information Commissioner's Office, Cabinet Office

Notable line

I am deeply disappointed by the unacceptable data breach involving the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Key Quotes

I am deeply disappointed by the unacceptable data breach involving the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Catherine Little CB · Opening statement on the breach incident
The Cabinet Office has formally notified the Information Commissioner's Office of this breach.
Catherine Little CB · Regulatory notification of the data breach
We take this matter extremely seriously and are expecting a comprehensive technical account from Capita regarding the root cause of the incident on 30 March.
Catherine Little CB · Cabinet Office position on investigating the breach
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Source · parliament.uk record ↗

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office relating to the Administration of the Civil Service Pensions Scheme, 14 April 2026 | Beyond The Vote | Beyond The Vote