IPE's United Kingdom Coverage – Page 258
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NewsFunding deficit for UK DB schemes jumps to £21.8bn
UK – Funding for final salary pension schemes took a turn for the worse last month, according to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF).
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NewsSwitching UK pension indexation to CPI may add complexity, experts warn
UK – Government plans to change the indexation of private sector defined benefit (DB) occupational pensions from Retail Price Inflation (RPI) to Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) in line with changes to public sector pensions could cause even more complexity to pensions.
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UK Pensions Regulator issues FSD against Nortel for £2.1bn deficit
UK – The UK Pensions Regulator (TPR) has confirmed it has issued a Financial Support Direction (FSD) against 25 companies in the Nortel Group in Canada, the US, the UK and Europe, requiring them to provide support to the UK pension scheme to cover a £2.1bn (€2.5bn) deficit.
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NewsCommittee recommends USS move to career average for new members
UK – The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) of the £28bn (€33bn) Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) has agreed a package of reforms to be recommended to trustees after the chairman had to make a casting vote in favour of a move to a career average scheme.
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NewsSmiths Group sets up escrow account for pension deficit
UK – Smiths Group, the global technology company, has reached an agreement with the trustees of its two UK pension schemes to recover the combined deficit of £655m (€788m) over the next decade.
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NewsUK public sector pensions akin to 'unstable Ponzi' scheme
UK – The existing approach to UK public sector pensions has been compared to an "unstable Ponzi scheme" in an independent report from the Public Sector Pensions Commission.
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Lothian moves more equities in-house to make efficiency savings
UK – The £3.2bn (€3.9bn) Lothian Pension Fund has reduced its equity managers by four as it starts to increase the in-house management of its assets as part of its revised investment strategy and to save almost £1m in external management fees.
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NewsUK roundup: ONS, BBC, pension de-risking
UK – A third of UK pensioners rely solely on the state pension in retirement, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics, while the BBC has defended proposed changes to its defined benefit (DB) scheme.
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NewsBA completes £1.3bn buy-in with Rothesay Life
UK – British Airways has completed a £1.3bn (€1.57bn) pension buy-in transaction with Rothesay Life that will cover approximately 20% of the pensioner liabilities of its Airways Pension Scheme (APS).
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NewsDiageo pension scheme to plug £860m deficit with whisky
UK/IRELAND – Drinks giant Diageo has announced its UK pension fund will tackle a £862m (€929m) deficit by investing in maturing whisky.
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TPR issues first contribution notice against Belgian firm
UK – The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has issued its first contribution notice, ordering Michel Van De Wiele NV (VDW) to pay £5m (€6.2m) into the Bonas Group Pension Scheme.
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BBC to close scheme to new members as deficit hits £2bn
UK – The BBC has initiated a three month consultation on changes to its £8.23bn (€10.16bn) defined benefit (DB) pension scheme following a deficit increase to around £2bn in 2009 from £470m in 2008.
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Marine pilots ruling clarifies funding for multi-employer schemes
UK – A legal ruling clarifying the powers of trustees to recover deficits in a multi-employer pension scheme confirms that trustees can require employers to make greater contributions. It also outlines when an employer triggers a section 75 debt on leaving the scheme.
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BT Pension scheme cut deficit by £1.4bn last year
UK - The underfunded BT Pension Scheme (BTPS) has managed to reduce its deficit by 16% following strong returns in 2009.
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NAPF 'foundation' pension could limit means-testing, but at a cost
UK – Introducing a 'foundation' pension combining the current Basic State Pension (BSP) and the State Second Pension (S2P) could reduce the number of people on means-tested pension benefits to 25% by 2050, according to research by the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI).
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Government should focus on current pension costs, says Towers Watson
UK – The government should be focusing on how much pension promises being made today are worth rather than the increasing cost of past pension promises, Towers Watson has warned.
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UK think tank calls for auto-enrolment into ISAs
UK – Pensions and individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) should be brought closer together through tax harmonisation and auto-enrolment into ISAs in an effort to boost long-term savings in the UK, a report from the Centre for Policy Studies has argued.
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UK RDR changes may deter pension saving
UK – Changes to UK regulation forcing employees to pay for advice and management costs upfront rather than by commission could lead them to opt-out of pension saving once auto-enrolment is introduced, Creative Benefit Solutions has warned.
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Cuts to UK pension tax relief may cost industry £2.5bn, says Standard Life
UK – Proposals to phase out the higher rate of pensions tax relief could cost employers, pension schemes and providers £1.05bn (€1.27bn), while the cost to employees could be a further £1.38bn, Standard Life has claimed.
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Early access to pension assets a mistake, warns Mercer
UK – Giving savers access to their pension fund before retirement would be a mistake, according to Mercer.




