Civil Service Pension Loans and Pokémon Cards

The number of emergency hardship loans issued to former civil servants who are facing long delays for pension payments is "pitiful" according to a senior MP. Clive Betts, the deputy chair of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, has told Money Box the loan system is "not adequate" after figures published for the first time earlier this week show fewer than 600 have been issued - compared to many thousands of people who are missing money. The Cabinet Office says an urgent recovery plan is underway and its immediate priority is to stabilise the service. Capita have previously apologised for the delays.

Nearly one in five adults now use Buy Now, Pay Later - instead of paying the whole cost upfront with a debit or credit card you can spread the cost interest free over three or four monthly payments. At one time it was young people driving the rise. But some new research from the Personal Finance Research Centre at the University of Bristol (commissioned by the Aberdeen Group Charitable Trust) suggests Buy Now, Pay Later is now spreading to older people. The number using it in their forties and sixties has grown by a third, with the biggest rise in the last two years among people in their fifties with the number using it up by half.

And, as a rare Pokémon card sells for 12 million pounds at auction - what's the appeal for collectors - and what should you think about when buying them?

Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researcher: Jo Krasner and Niamh McDermott Editor: Jess Quayle Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast Saturday 28th February 2026)