All articles by Maria Espadinha – Page 20
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News
MPs question TPR’s action on Norton pension schemes
On the go: The chair of the Work and Pensions select committee, Labour MP Stephen Timms, has written to the Pensions Regulator questioning its action over the case of Norton Motorcycles and the three pension schemes invested in the company.
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Aon’s merger with Willis Towers Watson to create $80bn giant
Aon and Willis Towers Watson have agreed on a merger, which will see the companies creating the UK’s largest pensions consulting firm and a worldwide insurance broker worth $80bn (£61bn).
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Flybe DB scheme outside of pensions lifeboat jurisdiction
On the go: Members of the Flybe’s defined benefit scheme will not be entitled to compensation from the Pension Protection Fund, as the pension fund is based in the Isle of Man.
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Professionals support switch to CPIH with no compensation
On the go: More than a third of pension professionals support a switch from the retail price index to the consumer price index incorporating owner occupier housing costs with no compensation, new research shows.
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NewsPodcast: Webb - Budget must deliver for doctors
Podcast: Former pensions minister Steve Webb argued that “it would be astonishing” if the March 11 Budget does not bring a solution to the issues caused by the tapered annual allowance for doctors and senior clinicians. Sir Steve, now partner at Lane Clark & Peacock, and Lydia Fearn, head of defined contribution and financial well-being at Redington, discuss, among other topics, the possible changes for pensions to be introduced by the chancellor.
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General levy uplift to cost private schemes £4.9m in first year
Private sector pension schemes will see their general levy bill increase by £4.9m in 2020-21 as the government has confirmed a hike of 10 per cent to overcome a shortfall in funding in future years will go ahead.
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Xylem completes £255m bulk annuity deal
On the go: Trustees of the Xylem UK Pension Plan have completed a £255m buy-in with Rothesay Life.
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Mortality rates see highest reduction since 2011
On the go: Mortality rates in England and Wales were on average 3.8 per cent lower in 2019 than in 2018, which is the largest annual fall in mortality rates since 2011, new data showed.
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New criminal sanctions not meant to disrupt businesses, Govt claims
The government has guaranteed that new criminal sanctions introduced in the pensions schemes bill are not intended to disrupt legitimate corporate activity, but has refused to revise “widely” worded powers to go after those linked to defined benefit schemes.
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Local authorities to have ‘absolute discretion’ on LGPS exit credits
On the go: Local authorities will have “absolute discretion” in determining the amount of any exit credit payment due to employers in the Local Government Pension Scheme, the government has said.
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DWP: Government will not dictate schemes’ ESG investments
The government insists it is not intervening in pension scheme investment strategies with a climate change amendment to the pension schemes bill introduced earlier this month.
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Maps to survey schemes on dashboard challenges
On the go: The Money and Pensions Service has commissioned qualitative research to understand the challenges pension schemes face with providing data for the pensions dashboards.
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Life expectancy in England stalling since 2010
On the go: Life expectancy in England is stalling for the first time in at least 120 years, a new report has concluded.
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Prospect joins calls for public pensions benefits top-ups
On the go: Prospect is the latest union to join calls urging the government to deliver on promised benefit top-ups to public-sector schemes, which were paused due to a discrimination court case.
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Nest joins campaign for Barclays fossil fuel divestment
On the go: Master trust Nest has joined a group of institutional investors urging Barclays to publish a plan to gradually phase out its financing of fossil fuel companies.
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HMRC GMP equalisation guidance fails to address all tax issues
On the go: Long-awaited guidance on tax issues arising from the equalisation of guaranteed minimum pensions has failed to address key technical and tax issues, according to experts.
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Tax relief cut could lead to higher DB contributions
On the go: Employers and staff might have to increase their contributions to defined benefit schemes if a rumoured cut to the 40 per cent relief for higher-rate taxpayers goes ahead, Aegon has warned.
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TPR ordered to set out climate change strategy
On the go: The government is expecting the Pensions Regulator to publish a strategy for dealing with the financial risks arising from climate change, among other requirements to integrate the Green Finance Strategy into its activities.
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Contractor takes local authority to court over LGPS exit payment
A Manchester-based waste management company has brought a claim to the High Court against Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council over an alleged £13m exit credit due from the Local Government Pension Scheme.
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PodcastsPodcast: Regulator should take ‘softly-softly’ approach to DC consolidation
Podcast: The Pensions Regulator should take a “softly-softly” approach to defined contribution consolidation, similar to what happened with master trusts during the authorisation process, where subtle conversations occurred and schemes decided to exit in an orderly manner, according to Adrian Boulding, director of policy at Now Pensions. He and Rosalind Connor, partner at Arc Pensions Law, discuss the response from the watchdog to its consultation of the future of trusteeship and governance, among other topics.