All Law & regulation articles – Page 28
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NewsOmbudsman to speed up state pension age investigation
On the go: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is to adjust its approach to the remainder of its investigation into failures by the Department for Work and Pensions relating to changes to women’s state pension age, so it can “conclude the investigation as efficiently as possible”, having shared its preliminary views with interested parties.
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NewsTPR: ‘Keep asking questions’ about investment strategies
On the go: The current economic malaise, and especially the impact on liability-driven investments now interest rates are rising, proves it is especially important that trustees continue to ask questions about their investment strategies, even if they seem “silly”, says Fred Berry, the Pensions Regulator’s lead investment consultant.
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NewsNew funding proposals threaten ‘the demise of DB schemes’
New defined benefit funding rules may lead to “potentially severe outcomes”, consultancy LCP has warned, while Mercer has predicted that the regulations would “accelerate pension liability buyouts and the demise of DB schemes”.
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NewsGovt to change civil servants’ early pensions access
The government has proposed to change the rules around early access to pensions in the civil service, tracking 10 years behind state pension age, according to a new consultation over reforms to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.
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NewsTransfer volumes could hit £600bn as insurers post strong results
A host of insurers have revealed their first-half 2022 results that show a booming trade in risk transfers, which, by some projections, could hit £600bn over the next decade — though there are fears about a capacity crunch in the sector.
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NewsMaPS unclear on origin for half of amber flag scam warnings
On the go: Nearly half (44 per cent) of scam guidance sessions in the past three months have been triggered despite the Money and Pensions Service not knowing why the amber flag was raised to begin with, according to data obtained via freedom of information act request by Quilter.
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NewsFBU receives more than 750 ‘immediate detriment’ claims
On the go: The Fire Brigades Union has received more than 750 ‘immediate detriment’ claims since June 6, despite being told by the Fire Chiefs’ Council that it should hold off applying immediate detriment until legislation is introduced next year.
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NewsGovt rejects appeal to make NHS scheme tax-unregistered
The government has rejected a petition to make the NHS pension scheme tax-unregistered, arguing that the loss of tax-relief and lump sums “would not benefit the vast majority of members”.
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PodcastsPodcast: Schemes struggle to educate members amid cost of living crisis
Podcast: Members should be able to consider dipping into their pensions early to combat the cost of living crisis, but schemes may struggle to educate them about the best means of doing so without giving them advice. Society of Pensions Professionals president Steve Hitchiner is joined by AgeWage chief executive Henry Tapper, founder of the Pension Playpen, to discuss recession fears, consumer protection for dashboards, and expanding long-term asset funds.
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NewsRailpen stands by investment in Chinese government debt
The manager of the Railways Pension Scheme has stood by the scheme's decision to invest in Chinese government bonds in 2021, despite allegations of human rights abuses committed by the country's government.
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NewsCalls for stewardship code to engage members as well as managers
On the go: The Financial Reporting Council’s stewardship code must “look both ways” and engage members as well as asset managers in developing guidance and standards, according to fintech company Tumelo.
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NewsTPR advises employers to shield schemes from refinancing costs
On the go: Companies and pension scheme trustees should take steps to protect their schemes and their employer covenant from the fallout of any refinancing that they have undertaken, according to David Fairs, the Pensions Regulator’s executive director of regulatory policy, analysis and advice.
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OpinionMembers or fraudsters? Take action now to weather the dashboard storm
The Pensions Regulator has ramped up its call to trustees to take action and prepare for the introduction of the pensions dashboard – recently launching its ‘Deadline’ campaign and guidance to get data ready. The largest schemes are expected to connect from June 2023 with medium-sized schemes set to follow from October 2024.
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NewsPublic sector retirees face higher exit payment scrutiny
Substantial exit payments resulting from pension strain arrangements in the public sector will likely see people nearing retirement having their cases referred to HM Treasury, under a proposed new regime.
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NewsScams action group gets six-figure budget to tackle fraud
On the go: The Pension Scams Action Group, a renamed and revamped Project Bloom, is to get a six-figure budget to tackle scams across the next year, with the prospect of more to come.
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NewsWaiting times a problem as demand for Pensions Ombudsman rises
The Pensions Ombudsman has been successful in its application for additional funding, part of which will go towards establishing its new pensions dishonesty unit, and tackling customer waiting times as demand is expected to rise by at least 10 per cent over the next year.
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NewsLGPS responds to Israeli settlements database complaint
The Local Government Pension Scheme’s advisory board has provided an update regarding a database that lists companies active in the occupied Palestinian territories, after the UK Lawyers for Israel criticised the LGPS's summary of a January meeting with the then-UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Michael Lynk.
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NewsGovt to consult on further LGPS McCloud regulations in 2023
On the go: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is to consult on further regulations governing the application of the McCloud remedy to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
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NewsTruss hints at doctors’ pension fix
On the go: Conservative party leadership candidate Liz Truss has said she will “sort out” the problems with doctors’ pensions in a bid to tackle the staff retention crisis, though she has not yet said how she would go about doing this.
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NewsOmbudsman fines Capita for substandard administration
The Pensions Ombudsman has told Capita to pay £500 to a disgruntled scheme member as its communications “fell below the standards of good administration”, though the member’s substantive complaint was not upheld.