Insights

Pensions update: major Virgin Media development

The Government has announced that it will introduce a legislative 'fix' to give pension schemes the ability to retrospectively obtain written actuarial confirmation that historic benefit changes met the necessary standards.

DIFCA issues Dubai Employee Workplace Savings Scheme (DEWS) laws for consultation confirming the 1 January 2020 commencement date

The long awaited laws setting out the end of the unfunded End of Service Gratuity and the introduction of the obligation to provide eligible employees with the funded replacement known as the Dubai Employee Workplace Savings Scheme (DEWS) have finally been issued by the DIFCA

Buy-ins and buy-outs: Timing matters

Pensions partner Stephen Richards works with independent investment consultant, Redington to look at why it is important that a buy in/and or buy-out is achieved in a timely and cost efficient manner.

Retrospective equalisation – a possibility?

Since the EU decision of Barber in May 1990, occupational defined benefit pension schemes have been grappling with effectively equalising their normal retirement dates for male and female members.

How to equalise guaranteed minimum pensions (GMPs)

Key steps to a successful conversion.

Dividends, recovery plans and long-term funding targets

Trustees and sponsors of defined benefit pension schemes should be aware of the annual funding statement issued by the Pensions Regulator in March 2019.

Moving to a Master Trust

In the last five years, there has been an enormous growth in master trusts. They now house over 10 million employees. Many employers have switched to take advantage of the cost saving and services they can provide. The Stephenson Harwood pensions law team has considerable experience advising clients on the legal route to master trust transfers, and has prepared this guide for those considering moving to a master trust.

New investment and disclosure obligations on pension scheme trustees from October 2019

This briefing gives a summary of the key new obligations arising from both sets of regulations.

GDPR and pension schemes: What trustees need to do

Download our eight point data protection check for trustees.

Watch out, watch out – the Regulator's about

Sponsors must now, more than ever, ensure that they keep their defined benefit pension schemes at the forefront of their minds - particularly when embarking on corporate activity.

Barnardo's indexation case: Supreme Court adds another piece to the jigsaw

The Supreme Court has given judgment on the next instalment in the case law determining when pension schemes can switch indices for the purposes of revaluation and indexation.

Court of Appeal provides guidance on the Pensions Regulator’s powers to issue a Financial Support Direction

In December 2001, the Pensions Regulator issued a Financial Support Direction (FSD) to certain companies in the ITV group (the Target) requesting that they provide support to the Box Clever Group Pension Scheme (the Scheme).

Pensions in 2019 - our top six

2019 promises to be another busy year for the pensions sector. This briefing picks out six topics that will be of interest to employers and trustees in the coming months.

Pensions consolidation team

Find out more about how our pensions consolidation team can help trustees and sponsoring employers take the first steps on the journey to buy-out benefits.

New obligations on trustees – disclosure and stewardship

Trustees will already be aware of additional disclosure obligations that will begin to apply to them from October this year, following the publication of Regulations in 2018 (the 2018 Regulations).

The journey to pension scheme consolidation

Find out about how the Stephenson Harwood pensions team can support trustees and sponsoring employers on their approach to consolidation.

Contact
Contact

To find out more, please drop us a line.

 
 
Pensions@stephensonharwood.com