IPE's United Kingdom Coverage – Page 269
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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.
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Trustees need to prepare covenant arrangements, says UK Pensions Regulator
UK – Trustees should prepare plans to access employer support to the scheme, such as contingent assets, ahead of time, instead of waiting to ask for extra security when it would weaken the sponsoring employer, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has said.
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UK funding roundup: DB deficit reaches £41.5bn in May
UK – The funding position of UK defined benefit schemes deteriorated in May, with the aggregate deficit increasing to £41.5bn (€50.1bn) at the end of the month, according to figures from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF).
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UK roundup: West Sussex, Coca-Cola, Ernst & Young, Tax relief
UK – West Sussex County Council is seeking a transition manager for its local government pension scheme, while trade unions are threatening Coca-Cola with strike action over changes to the final salary pension scheme.
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UK roundup: PIRC, Hammersmith, BAE, Tate & Lyle
UK – Revisions to the UK Corporate Governance Code requiring the annual re-election of directors of FTSE 350 companies has been welcomed by an independent corporate governance adviser, despite concerns from pension funds.
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NewsCost of de-risking remains a barrier for UK trustees
UK – Trustees see cost issues as the biggest barrier to reducing risk in a pension scheme, leading a significant number to make deficit funding programmes a priority, a study has revealed.
