The Scottish Public Pensions Agency has produced a contingency plan to mitigate against administrative risks, as it combines the service provisions for two other emergency service public sector schemes.

Pensions minister Steve Webb has tried to assuage the concerns of defined contribution schemes by implying the guaranteed retirement guidance could be delivered in less intensive ways than face-to-face meetings.

Local authority pension schemes have come out in support of proposals to pool local government pension scheme assets into two common investment vehicles.

The Pensions Regulator is considering requiring formal qualifications for independent trustees and trustee chairs, in order to raise governance standards, its executive director told delegates at Wednesday’s conference.

The London Pensions Fund Authority’s risk-based approach to setting contribution rates has identified around twice the number of employers that may need to provide greater solvency guarantees after its latest valuation.

Employers have managed to keep active scheme member fees steady while scrapping higher charges for deferred members, after one provider agreed to swallow the cost of next year's ban.

Hampshire Pension Fund has benefited from keeping its faith in equities, seeing its funding level increase by 8 percentage points over three years as a result of strong investment returns and additional employer contributions.

North East Scotland Pension Fund is working towards implementing a fully automated process for employers submitting member data, after narrowly failing to hit all the Pensions Regulator’s targets for common data accuracy.

Increased at-retirement flexibility for defined contribution members introduced by the Budget may lead to higher member contributions, experts have predicted, which could put pressure on some employers' pension structures.