All articles by Benjamin Mercer – Page 23
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NewsTreasury slammed for McCloud errors, but members will foot the bill
The Public Accounts Committee has issued a scathing report highlighting HM Treasury’s failure to predict the numerous problems stemming from 2011-15 public sector reforms, warning its mistakes will take “generations” to resolve.
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PodcastsPodcast: Trustees should focus more on scheme admin in anti-scam fight
Podcast: The Pensions Ombudsman has declared schemes should have their transfer and due diligence procedures updated within a month of new anti-scams guidance. Compliance will require a huge amount of administrative time and resources, and trustees should give scheme administration more focus. LCP partner Francesca Bailey and Pensions Management Institute president Lesley Alexander talk scams, dashboards and corporate activity.
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NewsIndustry bodies warn of 'consultation fatigue'
A number of industry bodies are concerned about “fatigue” from a deluge of consultations, Pensions Expert can reveal, warning that the sheer number of responses required, coupled with the short time-frames in which to prepare them, risks overwhelming their ability to respond properly.
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NewsDWP presses ahead with TCFD rules in time for COP 26
The Department for Work and Pensions is to press ahead with new rules that will require trustees to report on their schemes’ climate change investment risks by October, but has introduced a number of changes and easements to the regulations after industry concerns.
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NewsGE facing industrial action over pension cut proposals
On the go: General Electric’s UK division is facing the prospect of industrial action over reforms to its pension schemes, which, critics have said, will leave workers thousands of pounds worse off.
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NewsHigh Court spares council £6.5m in LGPS exit credit ruling
The High Court has found in favour of a county council in a battle with a contractor over £6.5m in exit credits, a ruling legal experts say provides much-needed clarity over regulations that have given rise to several legal disputes.
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NewsBA signs 'first of its kind' £21bn deal with BlackRock
The trustees of the British Airways pension schemes have signed a deal with BlackRock that places the investment management company in charge of the day-to-day management of more than £21bn of assets.
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NewsGovt fixes NHS scheme rules to avoid hefty retirement bills
The government is to amend regulations to the NHS Pension Scheme that has seen hundreds of employers, including GPs, hit with charges for staff members who are in the last three years prior to retirement, which could amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
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NewsTPR: Trustees must ‘improve their understanding’ of liquidity risks
On the go: Trustees need to improve their understanding of liquidity risks and do more to monitor and mitigate against them, the Pensions Regulator has said.
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NewsUCU mulls industrial action as USS sponsors reject benefits modelling
The University and College Union has said it is to decide “in the coming days” whether to press ahead with industrial action after its newly released ‘benefits modeller’, aiming to show how much members stand to lose under controversial proposals by the Universities Superannuation Scheme, was dismissed by employer representatives.
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PodcastsPodcast: Police officers let down by poor McCloud communication
Podcast: Police officers, who have complained about the ramifications of the government’s McCloud remedy, face a difficult battle to get their plight rectified, in another case where inadequate policy and communications has created damaging uncertainty for members. Quietroom development lead Joe Craig and Taylor Wessing senior associate Hadassah Shulman discuss this case, as well as simpler annual statements and the government’s anti-scam proposals.
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NewsTPR looks to clarify new contribution notice tests
On the go: The Pensions Regulator has called for the pensions industry to give its views on the application of new contribution notice tests stemming from the Pension Schemes Act.
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NewsTPR urges trustees to remain vigilant of sponsor activity
The Pensions Regulator has used its latest annual funding statement to call for trustees to remain vigilant of weakening employer covenants and corporate activity, while laying out guidance on how to approach scheme valuations under the current challenging conditions brought by the pandemic.
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NewsFiduciary managers survive Covid scare with strategies intact
On the go: Most fiduciary managers had positive returns in 2020 without needing to change their investment strategies in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, analysis from XPS has shown.
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NewsRussell Group universities propose USS compromise
Russell Group has backed the Universities Superannuation Scheme trustee’s suggested “lower-cost, more flexible” alternative to the existing scheme structure.
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NewsDWP DC single charging structure to bring headaches for master trusts
The Department for Work and Pensions is considering introducing a universal charging structure for the default funds in defined contribution schemes. The move was welcomed for the clarity it might give to DC savers, but experts have warned of the problems it would cause master trusts like Nest.
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NewsSPP, PMI criticise rushed code of practice consultation
The Society of Pension Professionals and the Pensions Management Institute have both criticised the timeframe of the Pensions Regulator’s consultation on its combined code of practice, raising the prospect of its flawed and costly implementation.
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NewsEmployer data struggles hamper McCloud administration
On the go: Gaps in employer records are far and away the biggest data challenge for administrators looking to tackle problems like McCloud, according to a Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association poll.
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NewsMcCloud funding impact ‘minimal’ but MHCLG needs to step up
On the go: The funding impact of the deferred choice underpin on the Local Government Pension Scheme is expected to be minimal, but the government needs to provide much more information to put minds at ease, according to speakers at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s Local Authority Conference.
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NewsScams, dashboards, superfunds feature in TPR’s three-year plan
The Pensions Regulator has published its latest three-year plan, an agenda encompassing everything from pensions security, tackling scams, dashboards, superfunds, and coping with the changing nature of defined contribution pension provision.