CIVIL Service pensions are far too important to be left in the hands of Capita, a public-sector union warned today.

The pensions provider recognised failures in administering its 1.7 million member scheme, leaving thousands waiting for payments and retirement quotes.

Prospect deputy general secretary Steve Thomas said these pensions cannot be “left in the hands of a company with such a dismal record of failure,” adding that it must “urgently return this service to the required standard.”

Paymaster general Nick Thomas-Symonds said the Capita contract was a “prime candidate” to be brought into public control, promising to recover “every single penny.”

The government enlisted 140 civil servants to clear the backlog of more than 6,700 past-date retirement quotations and 4,100 bereavement cases.

Capita said it was “sorry for the distress and inconvenience” caused by a service which “was not good enough” but claimed it now had the capacity to work through the backlog.