All Section 75 articles
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NewsTrustees demand protection for schemes as McColl’s collapses
On the go: The trustee of the two defined benefit schemes sponsored by retailer McColl’s has called for the link with the sponsor company to be respected after administrators were appointed to oversee the fallout from the retailer’s collapse.
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NewsTPR issues penalty over ‘inappropriate’ management buyout
On the go: The Pensions Regulator issued a £2mn compliance notice against a former pension scheme sponsor last year after a management buyout left it unable to support its scheme.
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NewsPlumbing Pensions to use member funds to fight section 75 claims
The Court of Session in Edinburgh has granted Plumbing Pensions permission to use member funds to defend against legal claims from employers over its pursuit of section 75 liabilities.
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NewsFormer TPR director served with summons over Section 75 debacle
On the go: Alan Pickering, formerly a non-executive director of the Pensions Regulator and former chair of Plumbing Pensions, has been added to the summons in an employer’s £256,000 claim against the scheme’s trustee over its mishandling of Section 75 debt.
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NewsActuaries demand ‘comprehensive guidance’ on TPR’s notifiable events
On the go: The Association of Consulting Actuaries has called for “comprehensive guidance” to be published before the Pensions Regulator’s new notifiable events regime comes into force, citing the “significant penalties” that apply for non-compliance.
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NewsDraft CDC regulations hampered by poor definitions, industry warns
The government’s consultation into draft regulations governing collective defined contribution schemes requires more work on definitions if these pension funds are to be properly implemented, with the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association warning it could create a “back door” for unscrupulous employers.
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NewsMorrisons’ takeover will ‘materially weaken’ sponsor covenant
On the go: The trustees of Morrissons’ defined benefit schemes have warned that both takeover offers for the British retailer will “materially weaken” the sponsors’ covenant.
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NewsEmployer seeks £265,000 in damages from Plumbing Pensions
A plumbing employer has filed a summons at the Court of Session in Edinburgh seeking more than £265,000 in damages from Plumbing Pensions over its alleged repeated failures to manage the scheme’s Section 75 debt.
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News
TPR clarifies expectations in settlements policy statement
On the go: The Pensions Regulator published a settlements policy statement on Thursday with the overarching aim that these agreements offer fair and appropriate outcomes.
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NewsEdinburgh Woollen Mill collapse leaves £17.5m pension black hole
Clothing and homeware manufacturer Edinburgh Woollen Mill’s collapse into administration has sparked fears its defined benefit scheme will not recover the £17.5m owed to it.
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NewsOmbudsman rejects ex-plumber appeal to dismiss section 75 debt
The Pensions Ombudsman has rejected an ex-plumber’s appeal against paying £977,000 in Section 75 debt, as an updated trustee board membership tries to address historical issues in the Plumbing & Mechanical Services (UK) Industry Pension Scheme.
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News
HMRC’s leapfrog on insolvencies to hinder PPF recoveries
Government changes to prioritise the payment of insolvent businesses’ tax bills at the expense of other creditors could reduce recoveries by the Pension Protection Fund and adversely impact levy payers, according to the lifeboat.
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PodcastsPodcast: Regulatory uncertainty puts workforce reform at risk
Podcast:The apparent contradiction between the Treasury’s new exit payment cap and existing Local Government Pension Scheme regulations risks limiting employers’ ability to restructure their workforce, warns Alison Murray, partner and head of public sector actuarial at Aon. She is joined by Linklaters counsel Anna Taylor, in a conversation also covering a new responsible investment bill and a proposed solution to the Section 75 problem.
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News
SNP MPs table amendments to tackle Section 75 conundrum
On the go: Four Scottish National party MPs have tabled an amendment to the pension schemes bill in a bid to solve the problem of Section 75 debt falling due on small, unincorporated employers.
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NewsPlumbing scheme announces independent governance review
The Plumbing & Mechanical Services (UK) Industry Pension Scheme is to carry out an independent review of its governance structures, after sustained criticism from the scheme's small employers and a court case over its handling of orphan liabilities.
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News
TPR in discussions with Plumbing trustees over governance failures
The Pensions Regulator has been in discussions with the trustees of the Plumbing and Mechanical Services Industry Pension Scheme, who face criticism for governance failures amid a long-running debacle that could send plumbers into bankruptcy.
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News
Insolvency bill retains potential to damage DB schemes
Government attempts to mitigate the risk its new insolvency legislation poses to defined benefit pension schemes have only been partly successful, and company moratoriums could still see schemes lose out on valuable contributions, experts have said.
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Features
Section 75: Ticking time-bomb in need of reform, say lawyers
Analysis: Experts say section 75 debts and flexible apportionment agreements, one of the most complex areas of pensions law, is crying out for change.
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News
Plumbers’ scheme braced for legal battles over employer debts
Trustees of the £2bn Plumbing and Mechanical Services (UK) Industry Pension Scheme have asked a Scottish court to let them use plan assets to fund legal battles, after an unnamed participating employer commenced action against the fund.
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News
Hertfordshire LGPS employer agreement sidesteps cessation debt
A housing association has avoided a potentially crippling £3m cessation debt to the Local Government Pension Scheme via an innovative agreement with the scheme’s local administering authority.