In an article for International Corporate Rescue, Samantha Brown and John Whiteoak, examine the Pensions Regulator’s draft policy on investigating and prosecuting the new pensions criminal offences which are due to come into force this Autumn. The article highlights various points which the authors hope will be addressed in the final policy, including the mixed … Read more

The DWP is planning to introduce new measures to empower trustees and pension providers to protect their members from pension scams. Draft regulations (which are subject to consultation) would see four new statutory conditions introduced, one of which must be met before a statutory transfer could take place. Although many will argue that such measures … Read more

Welcome to the latest edition of our pension disputes bulletin. In this edition we cover: the Pension Regulator’s draft policy on policing the new pensions criminal offences recent cases on transfers, scams and rectification new regulatory guidance on assisting members with financial matters guidance from the Ombudsman on appointing IFAs and signposting members, and the … Read more

After much work, the Pensions Regulator has published its new single code of practice for consultation. The new code is designed to update the Regulator’s expectations of workplace pension schemes and to make those expectations clearer and more accessible. As well as updating existing requirements, the code sets out a number of new requirements, including … Read more

The Pension Regulator has published for consultation its much anticipated draft guidance on how it intends to police the new pensions criminal offences due to come into force this Autumn. The draft guidance suggests that the Regulator will use these new powers sparingly and that they are not intended to fundamentally change commercial norms or … Read more

The Pension Schemes Act 2021, which will introduce new pension criminal offences, £1m regulatory fines and new requirements relating to funding and climate-related risks, received Royal Assent on 11 February 2021 but most of its provisions do not come into force imediately. Most of these measures are likely to come into force during the next … Read more

The Government has confirmed that it plans to increase the minimum pension age at which benefits under registered pension schemes can generally be accessed, without a tax penalty, from age 55 to age 57 from 6 April 2028. In a consultation paper which outlines how the Government intends to implement this, it has set out … Read more

The Pension Schemes Act 2021 finally received Royal Assent on 11 February 2021. The Act contains some significant new funding requirements for defined benefit (DB) occupational pension schemes which mean that trustees and sponsors will soon be required to set a legally binding long-term objective for their scheme. In future, this objective will drive the … Read more