Court rejects call by council for pensions set-off from officer convicted of fraud – Local Government Lawyer

‘The High Court has rejected a London borough’s bid to set off the pension benefits of a former senior finance officer who defrauded the council.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 24th November 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Peers warn of low morale in judiciary and call for greater diversity – The Guardian

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in diversity, judiciary, news, pensions, remuneration, select committees by tracey

‘The dilapidated state of some courts, a shortage of support staff and heavy administrative burdens are depressing the judiciary’s morale, a parliamentary report has warned.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 2nd November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judiciary needs a pay rise – says senior judge on £200k salary – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 3rd, 2017 in judiciary, news, pensions, remuneration by tracey

‘The judiciary needs a pay rise, a senior judge paid more than £200,000 a year has said. Lord Justice Gross, who sits in the Court of Appeal, made the comments in a speech to the Institute of Maritime Law on Wednesday. He said: “No one goes into the Judiciary to make money. But there comes a point when pay is so far out of line with the private sector market that it endangers recruitment – of the very best – and retention. There is a danger in relying unduly on goodwill.”‘

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 2nd November 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Valuing pension rights on divorce – Family Law

Posted October 23rd, 2017 in divorce, financial provision, news, pensions by sally

‘Pension rights in divorce or dissolution settlements can often amount to the largest asset after the equity in the family home. Professional advisers therefore need to pay close attention to this aspect of the ‘family estate’. This article discusses valuation issues in order to provide a basis for a negotiated settlement which reflects the capital value in present-day terms of the pension rights of one or both parties and identifies areas in which solicitors may need help from forensic accountants.’

Full Story

Family Law, 20th October 2017

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

UK pensions scheme calls on FCA to limit pensions freedoms – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 21st, 2017 in consumer protection, financial regulation, news, pensions by sally

‘The UK’s state-backed pensions scheme, the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST), has asked for limits to be put on pensions freedoms to protect its members from losing retirement savings.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 20th September 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Pensions Regulator launches landmark prosecution over auto-enrolment – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 12th, 2017 in employment, news, pensions, prosecutions by tracey

‘A bus company that allegedly deliberately avoided enrolling staff into a workplace pension scheme is being prosecuted by the UK’s Pensions Regulator.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 12th September 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Pension cold-calling ban to include texts and emails – BBC News

Posted August 21st, 2017 in bills, electronic mail, fraud, news, pensions, telecommunications by sally

‘A forthcoming ban on cold-callers who try to scam people out of their pension savings will include emails and texts, the government has announced.’

Full Story

BBC News, 20th August 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Professional’ trustees likely to receive higher penalties for wrongdoing, says Pensions Regulator – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 15th, 2017 in enforcement, news, penalties, pensions, trusts by sally

‘Pension scheme trustees that are considered to be ‘professional trustees’ can expect higher penalties for wrongdoing, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has said.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 14th August 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

EU Law provides Pension Equality – UK Human Rights Blog

‘EU Equality law had its moment in the sun in the week after London Pride with the UK Supreme Court Judgment in the case of Walker v Innospec.’

Full Story

UK Human Rights Blog, 18th July 2017

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Man wins equal pension rights for husband at supreme court – The Guardian

Posted July 12th, 2017 in homosexuality, married persons, news, pensions by sally

‘A gay former cavalry officer has won a legal battle to provide his husband with equal pension rights in a landmark discrimination case at the supreme court.’

Full Story

The Guardian, 12th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

No bans on local authority disinvestment decisions – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 3rd, 2017 in local government, news, pensions by tracey

‘The High Court recently heard a challenge to government guidance on the investment strategy for the local government pension scheme that sought to prevent boycotts, divestment and sanctions against foreign nations and UK defence industries. David Hart QC analyses the outcome.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 29th June 2017

Source: localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Local government pension scheme investment guidance was unlawful, High Court rules – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 29th, 2017 in EC law, financial regulation, local government, news, pensions by sally

‘Government guidance preventing the local government pension scheme (LGPS) from pursuing boycotts as part of their investment strategies has been found unlawful by the High Court.’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 28th June 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Minister acted unlawfully in issuing boycotts ban for LGPS investment, judge rules – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Communities Secretary acted for an unauthorised purpose and therefore unlawfully when he issued statutory guidance on the investment strategy for the local government pension scheme (LGPS) that sought to prevent boycotts, divestment and sanctions against foreign nations and UK defence industries.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 23rd June 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

No bans on local authority disinvestment decisions – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Many people like to have a say over the investment policies of their pension funds. They may not want investment in fossil fuels, companies with questionable working practices, arms manufacturers, Israel or indeed any company which supports Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip – to choose but a few of people’s current choices. And pension funds, left to their own devices, may wish to adopt one or more of these choices to reflect their pensioners’ views.’

Full Story

UK Human Rights Blog, 25th June 2017

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

No legal barriers to social investment, but pension schemes still not investing – Law Commission

Posted June 23rd, 2017 in contribution, Law Commission, news, pensions, press releases, reports by tracey

‘There are no legal or regulatory barriers to pension schemes making social investments, according to a new report by the Law Commission.’

Full Story

Law Commission, 23rd June 2017

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk

Government acted unlawfully by restricting ‘ethical’ boycotts of Israel, High Court rules – The Independent

‘The Government acted unlawfully by seeking to restrict “ethical” boycotts of Israel, the High Court has ruled. After accepting a judicial review, the judge said Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, acted unlawfully in issuing guidance to restrict local councils from pursuing boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel through their pension schemes.’

Full Story

The Independent, 22nd June 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Complaints about pension products on the rise following freedoms, says ombudsman – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 15th, 2017 in complaints, news, ombudsmen, pensions, reports by sally

‘Consumer complaints about self-invested and small self-administered pension products increased by a third last year, in the aftermath of more flexibility around pension savings, according to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 14th June 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Regina v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – WLR Daily

Posted June 1st, 2017 in birth, damages, law reports, pensions, personal injuries, valuation by sally

Regina v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2017] EWHC 1245 (QB)

‘The claimant, a 24-year-old man, suffered from physical impairments caused by injuries suffered during his birth at the defendant’s hospital. He was expected to live to about 70 years old, which represented a reduction, as a result of his injuries, from the normal life expectancy for a male of his age. His mother, acting as his litigation friend, brought a claim for damages on his behalf against the defendant. The defendant admitted negligence in relation to the claimant’s birth. On the assessment of damages, issues arose including: (i) whether the claimant was entitled to recover a sum in respect of the pension that, but for his injuries, he would have received during the “lost years” of his life beyond his actual life expectancy; and (ii) how any award for special accommodation needs was to be assessed.’

WLR Daily, 25th May 2017

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Assessment of uninjured earning capacity in relation to a police injury pension – UK Police Law Blog

Posted June 1st, 2017 in disabled persons, news, pensions, personal injuries, police, remuneration by sally

‘The recent decision of the High Court upon an application for judicial review of a Police Medical Appeals Board (‘PMAB’) decision in the case of R (Fisher) v (1) Chief Constable of Northumbria (2) PMAB [2017] EWHC 455 (Admin) highlights the pitfalls in the assessment of a former officer’s uninjured earning capacity when reviewing the level of an injury pension under regulation 37 of the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006.’

Full Story

UK Police Law Blog, 31st May 2017

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

‘Dramatic drop’ in reported pension scam cases, but losses increase – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 24th, 2017 in consumer protection, fraud, London, news, pensions, police, statistics by sally

‘The number of suspected cases of pension fraud reported to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has dramatically decreased over the past two years, even as the value of individual cases has soared, according to figures from the City of London Police.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 23rd May 2017

Source: www.out-law.com