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576991

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2016
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions: Tax Allowances
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action the Department for Work and Pensions has taken to inform employers and pension scheme members of the implications for those on low pay of using a net-pay scheme rather than a relief-at-source scheme that adds the tax relief due.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
	uin	HL1588
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2016 answer text <p>Pensions’ taxation is a matter for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.</p><p> </p><p>The noble Baroness may, however, find it helpful to note that the Pensions Regulator’s website provides comprehensive guidance for employers about their duties under workplace pensions’ legislation. This guidance covers pension scheme choice and the implications for an employer’s workforce of net-pay arrangements and relief-at-source schemes.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 15/09/2016 11:43:31 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

166087

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions: Fees and Charges
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are measuring the impact of auto-enrolment on fees charged by the investment management industry; and what plans they have to track any changes.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL3145
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The Government’s Command Paper, ‘Better Workplace Pensions: Further measures for savers’, published in March, set out a range of measures including a cap on charges in default fund arrangements, a ban on inappropriate charges and proposals to introduce minimum governance standards and improve transparency across workplace defined contribution schemes.</p><p> </p><p>Following this, Government launched its consultation on draft regulations on governance and charges in occupational pension schemes in October 2014. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the majority of this legislation will come into force from April 2015, alongside Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules in relation to workplace personal pension schemes where appropriate. From April 2015, the Government intends to introduce a charge cap on the default funds of qualifying schemes, set at 0.75 per cent of funds under management and the first phase of enhanced transparency with trustees and Independent Governance Committees (IGCs) being required to report on costs and charges for the first time.</p><p> </p><p>In 2015 Government will consult on regulations under duties in the Pensions Act 2014 requiring information about transaction costs to be disclosed to members and others, and the publication of costs and charges information. The FCA also intends to consult on amending their own rules to introduce equivalent enhanced transparency provisions for workplace personal pension schemes during 2015. The Government has also set out its plans to review the level of the default fund charge cap, to see if it should be lowered, and also whether it should include some or all of the transaction costs that are ultimately borne by members within a cap. This review will take place in 2017.</p><p> </p><p>Taken together the combined effect of these measures on charges, governance and transparency and the Government’s commitment to a review should ensure that savers are being enrolled into workplace schemes that are well run and in members’ interests.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 12:19:52 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

166089

	registered interest
	date	25/11/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the basis on which projections of potential returns are used by the investment management industry in communications with pension holders.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL3147
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>Since 6 April 2003, certain money purchase pension arrangements have been required to provide members with Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (SMPIs). Legislation requires that statutory illustrations are produced in accordance with guidance prepared by a prescribed body approved by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and by the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.</p><p>The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is the prescribed body and has been since 6 April 2007. The FRC fulfils its obligations through the publication of Actuarial Standard Technical Memorandum AS TM1: Statutory Money Purchase Illustrations (AS TM1). It reviews AS TM1 regularly and the last completed review was carried out in 2013 following the introduction of the Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/2734) which came into force on 6 April 2014. The AS TM1 specifies that the investment return should take into account the current and anticipated future investment strategy of the member’s funds over the period to retirement and be consistent from year to year, with the rationale documented and made available to members on request.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require a projection at point of sale for contract based pensions. The investment return must reflect the investment potential of the (expected) underlying assets, subject to an overall cap of 5%pa. Flanking projections must be provided using returns which vary by +/- 3%. The FCA has a public commitment to review the basis every 4 years and the next review is due in 2015. The FCA do not require further projections during the lifetime of the contract as pension scheme members will receive statutory statements prepared under DWP legislation. However, where a provider chooses to provide additional projections, they must follow the same basis as point of sale projections.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 08/12/2014 12:26:30 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

227419

	registered interest
	date	16/03/2015
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they or the Pensions Regulator have received about the operation of the Pensions Regulator internet portal for the registration of contacts for the automatic enrolment of employees into workplace pensions, in particular in relation to problems with the login details supplied to employers; and what steps they plan to take to rectify any such problems to enable employers to meet the 1 April deadline for registration.
	tabling member printed	Lord Stevens of Ludgate
	uin	HL5740
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2015 answer text <p>The Pensions Regulator has received feedback from some small and micro businesses about the operation of the internet portal for automatic enrolment contact detail registration, known as the &quot;nominate a contact&quot; webpage. This feedback suggests that some users are not very familiar with their PAYE reference. The letters currently sent to customers from the Regulator protects customer data by masking the first 3 digits of their PAYE reference with asterisks and some customers are trying to enter the asterisks as part of their PAYE reference which is generating an error message.</p><p> </p><p>The Regulator is fully aware of the issue. To address it, they are updating the website to clarify exactly what to enter and including the full PAYE reference on relevant letters in future so employers have all the details they need in front of them when prompted by the letter to visit the automatic enrolment contact nomination webpage.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 24/03/2015 13:47:18 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	2227 label Biography information for Lord Stevens of Ludgate

535604

	registered interest
	date	12/07/2016
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to change the discount rate used to calculate the funding status of defined benefit pension schemes.
	tabling member printed	Lord Myners
	uin	HL1151
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2016 answer text <p>The legislation governing the funding of defined benefit occupational pensions schemes is designed to be flexible, allowing the trustees or managers of these schemes to determine which method and assumptions are to be used in their schemes technical provisions. A number of factors come into play in scheme funding decisions and the Pensions Regulator provides useful guidance for trustees in its codes and supporting guidance and statements.</p><p> </p><p>In determining the discount rate to be used, trustees must act prudently taking into account the yield on assets held by the scheme and / or the market redemption yields on Government bonds or other high-quality bonds.</p><p> </p><p>There is no standard actuarial method and set of assumptions that must be used, however, should the Regulator have concerns about a funding plan it can intervene.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 18/07/2016 15:22:37 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	3869 label Biography information for Lord Myners

577036

	registered interest
	date	06/09/2016
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the possible impact of Brexit on workers' pensions.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL1633
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2016 answer text <p>The period since the referendum has seen movements in market conditions that could have a material impact on pension schemes funding positions. However, the precise effect will depend on a number of factors including how assets are allocated and the approach to hedging. It is important to remember that pensions are invested in the long-term. We continue to monitor the impact.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 12/09/2016 16:32:47 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

581619

	registered interest
	date	12/09/2016
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the total number of employers who are potentially responsible for paying Pension Act 1995 section 75 debts of previous employers who are no longer part of their non-associated multi-employer defined benefit pension scheme.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
	uin	HL1759
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2016 answer text <p>The information requested is not held by Government or the Pensions Regulator.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 26/09/2016 15:26:08 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

581620

	registered interest
	date	12/09/2016
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their most recent estimate of the number of individual employers at risk of personal bankruptcy as a result of the increased costs of supporting defined benefit pension liabilities in non-associated multi-employer pension schemes.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
	uin	HL1760
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2016 answer text <p>The information requested is not held by Government or the Pensions Regulator.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 26/09/2016 13:47:30 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

581621

	registered interest
	date	12/09/2016
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the impact of falling long-term gilt yields on the deficits of UK defined benefit pension schemes.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
	uin	HL1761
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2016 answer text <p>Recent movement in gilt yields could have a material impact on the funding position of defined benefit pension schemes in the short term.</p><p>However, the precise effect on deficits will depend on a number of factors including how assets are allocated, the approach to hedging and the demographics of the scheme. We continue to monitor the position.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 26/09/2016 13:00:32 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann

598124

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2016
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Workplace Pensions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis they have conducted into changes in the aggregate funding levels of UK defined benefit pension schemes over the past two years for (1) FTSE 100 companies, (2) FTSE 350 companies, and (3) small firms and charities, on (a) a technical provisions basis, and (b) a section 179 basis.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Altmann
	uin	HL2153
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2016 answer text <p>The Pensions Regulator (TPR) and the Pensions Protection Fund (PPF) regularly publish information on Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes’ funding levels. In addition, a number of other organisations also produce analysis of the impacts of DB pensions using a variety of measures. Over the past two years we have been using this information to closely monitor changes in the aggregate funding levels of UK DB pension schemes.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 24/10/2016 13:48:24 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
	tabling member	4533 label Biography information for Baroness Altmann