By bizn_fun 
“I’ve only got a certain amount of money to see me through each week. I should be making memories and enjoying my time with my family, my children, my grandchildren, my friends, my elderly parents, and I can’t.”
Some of those affected have had no contact from Capita whatsoever. It took over the administration of the scheme from MyCSP.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee, Capita bosses said they were surprised by the extent of the issue the company inherited.
But Holroyd said: “We now own this problem. It is ours to fix and ours to fix at pace.”
Apologising for the situation, he said the service was not what retired civil servants deserved. Staffing had increased from 400 at the time of the handover to 750 now.
Chris Clements, managing director at Capita Public Services, said calls about bereavement and hardship were being answered quickly, but others had “unacceptable” waits.
He said some payments would be made to the most serious cases by the end of February, and they would receive a normal service by the end of March.
He said anyone who needed to get in touch should use the “contact us” tool on the front page of its website.
An emergency interest-free loan system has been set up, with newly retired people applying to their former employer, and those who retired more than 12 months ago being directed to apply to Capita.
But the scheme has been criticised as placing a further burden on the public purse, and forcing applicants to go through a humiliating process to “prove” they are experiencing hardship.