HM Treasury

George Osborne pulled a rabbit out of the Budget hat last month with a number of surprise pension announcements. Hannah Uttley discusses these and other major benefit announcements.

The government has extended the length of time savers who have recently taken their tax-free lump sum have to decide how to use the rest of their pension pot.

The insurance industry is capable of cost effectively delivering the Chancellor's ‘retirement advice for all' pledge, but passing the "impartially test" would be challenging, Otto Thoresen has told MPs.

A scheme allowing pensioners to top up their flat-rate state pension through voluntary National Insurance contributions (NICs) is expected to raise £850m over two years.

Employers participating in the NHS, Teachers and Civil Service pension schemes will face higher contributions from 2015, chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has confirmed.

Annual increases in the amount of money that workers can save in all-employee share schemes should be linked to inflation, says a share scheme lobby group.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is "invisible" in pensions regulation, Hymans Robertson senior partner Ronnie Bowie says.

The government is to increase tax relief on investment in social enterprises and social impact bonds, Chancellor George Osborne says.

The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) is in discussions with Dalmore Capital over management of the Pensions Infrastructure Platform's (PIP) equity mandate.

Aviva and Legal and General are among the six insurers that have agreed to collectively invest £25bn in UK infrastructure over the next five years.