All legal articles – Page 18
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News
Landmark SPPA ruling sets gender equality precedent
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency has ordered North Lanarkshire Council to treat back pay settlements issued to female employees following years of salary discrimination as pensionable.
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Opinion
Change in law is needed to stop scammers, experts say
Scam activity could be present in as much as 11 per cent of pension transfer requests, consultancy Xafinity has found. Trustees and lawyers say legal constraints prevent them from protecting individuals.
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News
Hogg Robinson pays £12.8m in rectification case
Corporate travel company Hogg Robinson has incurred £10.5m in past service costs and £2.3m in legal costs following rectification of a mistake in a deed of amendment to the scheme.
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News
Field’s proposal for scheme deficits bill raises pension cut fears
Former pensions minister Steve Webb has warned that a new bill proposed by Work and Pensions Committee chair Frank Field to deal with DB deficits – including by introducing flexible benefits – is a “worrying” development that could undermine people’s confidence in the pension system.
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NewsSchemes urged to prepare for bad investment outcomes
PLSA Investment Conference 2016: The question of what powers trustees have – if any – when things go wrong on the investment provider side received some surprising answers at the PLSA Investment Conference held in Edinburgh this week.
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News
Scottish ruling creates confusion for pensions lawyers
Pensions lawyers need guidance on how to treat antiquated or onerous scheme rules, experts have said, after Scotland’s highest appeal court ruled that a legal firm must pay more than £62,000 to the Scottish Solicitors Staff Pension Fund.
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News
Cross-border plans could be greater lure for employers under IORP
Analysis: The burden on cross-border pension schemes to be fully funded at all times could be lifted as the Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision II directive moves nearer its final version.
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News
Northumbria Police pays out £250k to compensate pension loss
Trustees should keep their distance from members' employer disputes, lawyers have said, after Northumbria Police was required to pay out more than £250,000 for discrimination and pension loss, but others argue open communication is critical.
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News
VAT burden shows little sign of abating as key deadline approaches
News Analysis: Employers need a better way of reclaiming VAT on behalf of their schemes than that set out by HM Revenue & Customs, lawyers say, as a December deadline for schemes to renegotiate service contracts looms.
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OpinionEurope: What UK schemes need to know about legal changes
Several key developments in European law will have an impact on the UK pensions industry.
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OpinionWhat we can learn from the Nortel ruling
July saw judges in the US and Canada confirm their May 2015 groundbreaking decision to distribute insolvent Nortel group's remaining assets to worldwide creditors on a modified pro rata basis.
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NewsStamp dealer takes adviser to task over admin issues
Stamp trader Stanley Gibbons sought redress from a former adviser after issues were raised concerning the company’s scheme rules, a move that has cost the scheme £1.7m in legal fees.
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NewsOlympic Airlines judgment prompts calls for slack in PPF rules
The Supreme Court this week ruled against trustees of the Olympic Airlines SA Pension Scheme’s claim for greater Pension Protection Fund compensation, but lawyers are calling for a loosening of insolvency criteria for entry into the lifeboat.
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News
Schemes win extended reprieve from European OTC clearing rules
The European Commission has recommended schemes be given a two-year reprieve from over-the-counter derivative clearing requirements. But industry experts still expect pension funds to end up paying higher transaction costs.
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Opinion
Decoding HMRC's reading of the VAT verdict
HM Revenue & Customs has now published its eagerly awaited guidance on VAT and pension schemes, following the recent European Court of Justice cases.
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Opinion
Class actions are on the rise. Should trustees pick up their cudgels?
Almost from nowhere, pension managers and investment committees are being bombarded with class actions. But how do you manage these, and what are trustees’ duties in these cases?
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Opinion
Will risk-sharing schemes ever take off in the UK?
The current pension schemes bill introduces a new shared-risk arrangement, in which at least some of the benefits can be provided through collective defined contribution plans. But what would the real-world application mean in the UK pensions market?
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Opinion
Exploring the impact of the new money purchase definition
Sackers’ Zoë Murphy looks at which schemes may be affected by the definition change and what they might need to do from April – including paying the Pension Protection Fund levy, actuarial valuations and assessing underpins.
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Opinion
How to run a beauty parade to find the best adviser for your scheme
Any other business: The time comes when every scheme needs to hire new advisers. But in an industry with such a diverse range of skills, how can you be sure you are hiring the right one?
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Opinion
Six hurdles for DB and DC schemes to get over in 2015
By now, you'll have waded through all manner of 2014 round-ups, but what lies ahead for the pension trustee or scheme manager is certainly more pressing.