Tag Archives: Richard Harrington

Meeting the Pensions Minister

Tomorrow (18th April) I get to meet the Pensions Minister, which I’m excited about. I’d written to Richard Harrington a few weeks ago, after an amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill had been thrown out. I’d helped the Labour Party … Continue reading

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5 Things I want from today’s DB Green Paper

The DWP is due to publish its Green Paper this morning. It’s an important initiative; -our defined benefit schemes are under threat but they have the potential to do much good not just to those in them, but to those who … Continue reading

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Choosing a workplace pension

    Last week, Parliament debated an amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill, suggested by the Shadow Pension Minister and quoting this blog. I am happy to have put words in Alex Cunningham’s mouth, the Government have been cavalier in … Continue reading

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Which would you rather live in- a house or a car?

  I’m fond of our current pension minister; he makes me laugh! He does a good impression of the “pension’s idiot” and enjoys being thought rather less on the ball than he actually is.   But scratch the surface and … Continue reading

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The employer’s “duty of care” to choose a workplace pension; the parliamentary debate.

In my most recent blog, I expressed a hope that the amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill would be accepted (in the full knowledge that it wouldn’t). It was withdrawn by the Shadow Pensions Minister but not without debate. I … Continue reading

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Why a 12% pension saving rate is wrong.

      I had hoped to talk yesterday with and  today about Lord Turner and the meeting of minds at the Pension and Lifetime Savings Association. The change of title a year ago had, I hoped , heralded a more open … Continue reading

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The Pension Dashboard – all dressed up with nowhere to go.

The number of pension providers who’ve paid to join the Government’s pension dashboard initiative has risen to 17. The initial pilot will be more complete because legacy pension providers like Phoenix have joined the hard core who offer new pensions … Continue reading

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The weight of a nation v the next Philip Green

The DWP Select Committee, currently the only centre of pension’s expertise in the House of Commons, has called for written evidence on Defined benefit (DB) pensions regulation by the Pensions Regulator (TPR), including: the adequacy of regulatory powers, including anti-avoidance provisions … Continue reading

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Pensions Minister in the house – shout out for Richard Harrington!

A new man In one of the lowest keys of appointments, Richard Harrington crept into the DWP as an under-secretary and inherited all the issues for rather less pay than he’d have got if he’d got the usual ministerial salary. … Continue reading

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“The best way forward or the NEST way forward?”

If you are an employer and you have made a decision, there is no liability—that is clear in the legislation. If you have decided to go with NEST rather than NOW: or People’s, there is no liability that can fall … Continue reading

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