Guy Opperman

The government has confirmed the current interim chairwoman of The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO), Caroline Rookes, will continue the role in a permanent capacity.

Ethical pensions campaign Make My Money Matter (MMMM) has called on the government to use the Pension Schemes Bill to require all UK pension funds to commit to net-zero emission investment strategies.

Jonathan Stapleton says that, while the production of two-page simpler annual statements is no panacea for member engagement, it is a welcome step in the right direction.

Occupational pensions schemes will be required to direct savers to take guidance on pension withdrawals under new provisions to boost engagement.

The Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) has published its second progress update report – setting out a timeline for the development of the project.

Almost three-quarters of PP readers disagree that pension scheme members should be allowed to access funds early to use as a house deposit.

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has called for amendments to the Pension Schemes Bill to ensure new regulatory powers do not unintentionally prevent schemes from taking action in members’ interests.

Guy Opperman says two page, simpler statements as well as an annual ‘season’ in which to issue them could be transformative steps for the UK pensions industry

The Department for Work and Pensions is to make it mandatory for auto-enrolment defined contribution (DC) schemes to use simpler annual statements.

This week’s top stories included a warning from Lincoln Pensions on the “triple whammy” faced by sponsor covenants, while MPs called for further input on the Pension Schemes Bill.