The In-House Lawyer

Pensions Regulator statement: defined-contribution schemes In the lead up to the introduction of the government’s personal accounts system in 2012, and against the background of growing numbers of defined-benefit schemes closing to future accrual, the Pensions Regulator (the Regulator) is ... Read more	No relief for pensions as Chancellor targets high earners The ink had barely had a chance to dry on the pensions ‘tax simplification’ measures introduced in April 2006 before the Chancellor announced plans, in his 2009 Budget, to introduce complex new rules that will ... Read more
Managing pension costs in an economic downturn As the economic downturn continues, employers are increasingly considering ways to reduce their pension costs to aid survival. Several organisations have recently announced plans to modify existing pension arrangements. In the coming months many other ... Read more	What does the new Equality Bill mean for pension schemes and employers? The long-awaited Equality Bill (the Bill) has finally been published. The Bill is designed to harmonise discrimination law and to strengthen the law to support progress on equality. To achieve the latter of these two ... Read more
A cautionary tale of self-investment and personal liability As investment strategies become more complex it is crucial that trustees comply with the relevant legal requirements. Recently there has been a series of Pensions Ombudsman cases that have imposed personal liability on trustees for ... Read more	Pensions Regulator: alert in the economic downturn So far the Pensions Regulator has issued two statements (October 2008 and February 2009) on how it expects pension scheme employers and trustees to deal with the impact of the current economic crisis. In April ... Read more
A new disclosure regime: for better or worse? The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has finally issued a consultation paper outlining how it plans to revise the disclosure of information requirements for occupational pension schemes. The consultation proposes a simplified, more principles-based ... Read more	A more powerful Pensions Regulator? The Pensions Regulator’s powers are being extended to enable the Regulator to respond more effectively to the emergence of new business models (including alternatives to traditional buyout structures) that may impact on the security of ... Read more
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