All Law & regulation articles – Page 34
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NewsInsurers publish first bulk annuity ‘best practice’ guide
On the go: UK insurers have collaborated to produce the industry’s first-ever “best practice” guide for schemes preparing for bulk annuity quotations, laying out principles by which trustees, advisers and administrators should abide.
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PodcastsPodcast: Pension tax changes needed to save NHS from ‘rock bottom’
Podcast: Staff shortages and ever-growing waiting lists have left the NHS at “rock bottom”, but the government “has its head in the sand”. Changes to the pensions taxation regime are essential to fix the problem, argues Vishal Sharma, pensions committee chair at the British Medical Association. He is joined by Mark Bondi, council member at the Society of Pension Professionals and senior technical consultant at Capita, to discuss the NHS, the High Court’s retail price index decision, and pension priorities for new prime minister Liz Truss.
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NewsRise of DC poses risks and challenges for future pensioners
Increasing reliance on defined contribution savings means the requirements of future pensioners will be markedly different from those of previous generations, placing a greater emphasis on the need for communication and support, as well as on the role of annuities, a report from the Pensions Policy Institute has revealed.
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NewsChloe Smith appointed work and pensions secretary
On the go: Norwich North MP Chloe Smith has been named secretary of state for work and pensions amid Liz Truss’s cabinet reshuffle.
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NewsTPR’s criminal powers ‘pose risks’ to universities
The Pensions Regulator’s new criminal powers could potentially pose risks to university sponsors of defined benefit schemes, especially in light of reforms at the Universities Superannuation Scheme, legal experts have said.
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NewsTriple lock, NHS and merging regulators on Liz Truss’s agenda
The new prime minister faces a host of economic problems, ranging from the cost of living crisis to the staffing crisis in the NHS as she enters Number 10, industry experts have said, with all eyes on the government’s forthcoming “fiscal event”.
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NewsLabour would scrap pensions tax cap to boost NHS staff
On the go: Labour’s shadow Health and Social Care secretary, Wes Streeting, has pledged to do away with the cap above which NHS workers incur additional tax burdens, in a bid to dissuade experienced staff from retiring.
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NewsOpperman moots abolishing member-nominated trustees
Pensions minister Guy Opperman has raised the possibility of scrapping member-nominated trustees, demanding a surge in professional trustees as part of his plans for consolidation in the defined contribution space.
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NewsBT, Ford and M&S schemes consider appealing against RPI judgment
On the go: The trustees of the BT, Ford and Marks and Spencer schemes are considering whether to appeal against the judgment handed down by the High Court, which struck down their judicial review against the government’s plans to axe the retail price index.
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NewsOpperman attacks industry efforts on midlife MOTs
Pensions minister Guy Opperman has hit out at the pensions industry’s apparent lack of involvement in the development of so-called “midlife MOTs”, and argued in favour of the service being offered to savers in their thirties.
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NewsOpperman has ‘zero sympathy’ for concerns over dashboards’ timeline
Pensions minister Guy Opperman has rebuffed concerns over the timescale of the Pensions Dashboards Programme, adding that the project would have moved at even greater speed if he had his way.
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NewsFirst LGPS climate risk reports due by December 2024
The first Local Government Pension Scheme climate risk reports will be completed by December 2024, with which administering authorities will set out their strategies and metrics for managing climate-related risks and opportunities, according to a new government consultation.
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NewsScheme administrators concerned about dashboard data security
On the go: Data security on the pensions dashboards is the primary concern among pension scheme administrators, according to a survey from financial solutions company Bravura.
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News‘Millions to lose out’ as court rejects RPI reform appeal
Industry commentators have warned that millions of pensioners stand to “lose out” after the High Court rejected a judicial review, brought by some of the country’s largest defined benefit schemes, against the government’s plans to replace the retail price index with the consumer price index including housing.
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NewsLGPS calls for ‘future-proofing’ benefits against discrimination
On the go: The chair of the Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board, councillor Roger Phillips, has written to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities asking for reforms to discriminatory death and survivor benefits in the LGPS, and to protect the scheme against future legal challenges.
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NewsStrikes ‘likely’ over TfL pension changes as funding deal reached
Changes to the TfL Pension Fund will be required as part of a financial support package agreed between the government, Transport for London and the mayor of London, with a plan to be presented in September. But unions have rejected the deal, and warned that more strikes are “likely”.
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NewsDominic Harris confirmed as new Pensions Ombudsman
On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed CMS partner Dominic Harris as the next Pensions Ombudsman.
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NewsPensions dashboards standards need ‘extensive user testing’
Respondents to the pensions dashboards standards consultation have warned that user testing and experience will be required before a full assessment can be provided.
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NewsTribunal upholds £400 TPR fixed penalty notice
On the go: A tribunal has enforced a £400 fixed penalty notice issued by the Pensions Regulator against an employer that failed to comply with an unpaid contributions notice.
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NewsProfessional negligence claim against Aon goes ahead
The High Court has given the green light for a full court hearing into a professional negligence claim against Aon, after the consultancy failed in its attempt to have the claim struck out on the basis that it has breached statutory limitation periods.