Issue - meetings

Liz Firmstone, Service Manager (Transformation) presented this report which represented a regular update on key developments affecting pensions administration and the performance of the Pension Administration Service.  Overall performance of the team was high and activity was progressing well.  Headlines from the report included:

•              Good progress continued to be made in implementing the Governance Action Plan

•              All year end activity was complete.  The year end process had resulted in an upturn in workload as more queries were received but this was now returning to business as usual levels.

•              A new set of Key Performance Indicators were in place for the financial year and the service was performing at or better than target on 50% of indicators and were close to target on others.  Where the service was performing below target this was due to a focussing of resource on indicators that resulted in making payments to members or dependents.  This meant those below target were indicators where no critical payment was due.  Performance was also slightly low on indicators which related to receipt of notification on the death of a member.  The number of cases in this indicator were significantly lower than with other indicators which meant that a low number of cases not meeting the performance target would skew the overall figures.

•              The I Connect project which would result in the automation of the reporting process by scheme employers leading to a reduction of breaches, was going well.  The contract was now in place and work was taking place to get the first tranche of employers on to the system. 

•              There was a regulatory requirement to issue annual benefit statements to Members by 31 August each year.  For deferred members, all statements were issued ahead of deadline.  Unfortunately, the team were disappointed to report that although the project had been well-managed and was on track to deliver statements for active members in time for the 31 August deadline, it had come to light that there was an issue with the printers and just under 5000 had not issued on time.  The missing statements had been issued on 11 September and this would have to be notified to the regulator.  The printers were investigating the problem.  The contract was between a local government communications group which provided services to four different authorities, and the contract manager (based at Staffordshire) was looking at the contract to see what remedies existed in the contract. 

The Chair expressed sympathy to the team but understood the pressures that the team had been under and expressed her gratitude for continued good performance.

Resolved

That the Committee notes this report.