All Pinsent Masons articles – Page 3
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News
DOIs: Could a cup of coffee lead to £1m DB fine?
A lack of clarity on proposed new legislation means a meeting over a cup of coffee to discuss a corporate transaction could cost an employer up to £1m in civil fines if a declaration of intent is not made in advance, according to law firm Pinsent Masons.
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NewsFirefighters case demonstrates need for clarity over pensionable pay
A recent High Court decision that overtime payments for firefighters in Wales are pensionable has highlighted the importance of clarity and collaboration regarding pensionable status when new types of pay are introduced, lawyers have said.
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NewsTrustees not responsible for bad IFA transfer work, scheme professionals say
Advisers to pension schemes have hit out at proposals that British Steel Pension Scheme should award discretionary payouts to members who mistakenly left the plan, saying it shifts the blame for bad financial advice on to trustees.
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PodcastsPodcast: What can we learn from the Barnardo’s outcome?
Podcast: Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that Barnardo’s cannot change the inflation protection it provides to members of its defined benefit scheme from the retail price index to the consumer price index. So, what does the result mean for other DB pension funds and their sponsors?
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NewsSupreme Court: Barnardo's wording does not allow RPI/CPI switch
The Supreme Court’s rejection of an attempt by Barnardo’s to downgrade its pension increases is a reminder that courts are unlikely to bend rules to accommodate the commercial needs of defined benefit sponsors, according to legal experts.
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News
High Court: Schemes must equalise GMPs
Defined benefit schemes must equalise guaranteed minimum pensions between men and women, the High Court has ruled, in a decision that could cost FTSE 100 companies alone an estimated £15bn.
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News
Government to legislate for CDC
The Work and Pensions Committee has published a letter from Guy Opperman, minister for pensions and financial inclusion, which indicates the government’s intention to lay primary and secondary legislation for collective defined contribution schemes.
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NewsPlumber wins workers' rights case
The Supreme Court has upheld a verdict that Gary Smith, a former contractor who carried out work for Pimlico Plumbers between 2005 and 2011, was indeed a worker at the company and was consequently entitled to workers’ rights there.
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OpinionESG investing has little to do with ethics
The pensions world has hesitated over environmental, social and governance factors for a long time, writes Pinsent Masons’ Carolyn Saunders, but legal developments mean they cannot afford to do so any longer.
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Opinion
GDPR - A brave new world for the pensions industry
It is easy to imagine bunkers in remote corners of England, hatches locked, filled with trustees who are desperate not to hear any more about the General Data Protection Regulation.
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OpinionSuperfund – shoot first
Editorial: The Department for Work and Pensions has kept its word with the publication of its highly anticipated white paper, even managing to deliver it ahead of its spring target.
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NewsFines for DB negligence leave industry split
Employers who wilfully or recklessly put their defined benefit pension schemes at risk are in the firing line of new punitive fines announced in a government policy statement released on Monday.
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NewsSainsbury’s tackles bills with DB scheme merger
Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s is hoping to save on pension costs by combining its two defined benefit schemes, a move advisers say can also bring strategic alignment for the sponsor.
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News
Attractiveness of deferred debt arrangement remains to be seen
Employers in multi-employer pension schemes will now be able to delay the requirement to pay an employer debt when they cease accrual in the scheme, but opinions are divided on how attractive this will be.
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NewsHigh Court backs employers in Wedgwood dispute
The High Court has ruled in favour of participating employers in the Wedgwood Group Pension Plan, who terminated their liability to contribute to the scheme in 2006.
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NewsGovt defeated on 'discriminatory' changes for firefighters and judges
The Employment Appeal Tribunal is returning the firefighters’ discrimination case to the Employment Tribunal and has dismissed the government’s appeal over a similar case in relation to a group of judges.
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News
Freedoms still have industry in their grip: Top DC stories from 2017
Year in review: The sea change policy of freedom and choice brought in more than two years ago continues to dominate in the defined contribution world.
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News
New regime could reduce number of mastertrusts by a third
The government has set out draft regulations for defined contribution mastertrusts, estimating that the rules will cut the number of mastertrusts to about 56 from currently 87.
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NewsFirstGroup breaks new ground by merging funds within LGPS
Transport operator FirstGroup has become the first major private sector employer to consolidate its pension funds within the Local Government Pension Scheme, as experts agree that similar mergers could be on the horizon.
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NewsField: Members should have first claim on assets
Work and Pensions Committee chair Frank Field wants pension scheme members to have first claim on any assets from bankrupt sponsors, a debate on scrapping limited liability, and hopes to start an independent action group to support trustees.