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R (Greyhound Board of Great Britain Ltd) v Welsh Ministers [2026] EWHC 670 (Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling reinforces the constitutional divide between the courts and the legislature. It explains that the scheme and framework of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (GWA 2006) embody that separation of powers, and that any judicial attempt to recognise and enforce a common law obligation on Welsh Ministers to consult prior to introducing legislation in the Senedd would trespass upon that boundary. This is not a departure from established principle; case law has already upheld comparable rules for lawmakers in Scotland and at Westminster. However, this is the first express confirmation of the position for Welsh lawmakers, and the first time this dimension of the GWA 2006 has been analysed in such depth. The court examined earlier
The solution arrived through the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), a quasi‑judicial body handling mass claims, created under UN Security Council Resolution 687. By addressing environmental harm—most notably via its ‘F4’ claim class—the UNCC set a seminal benchmark shaping how international law and contemporary arbitral panels allocate financial responsibility for wartime ecological devastation. With present-day wars in areas such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East bringing dam breaches, strikes on chemical facilities, and the burning of farmland, the UNCC’s legacy endures as an essential reference point for states, global investors, and companies engaged in post‑conflict arbitration. The F4 claims: Quantifying the unquantifiable Prior to the 1990s, mechanisms in international law for war reparations overwhelmingly favoured property loss, foregone earnings, and bodily injury. The natural world was commonly treated as a mute, non-compensable victim of armed hostilities...
Understanding the farming business as a business Many farms still use long-standing structures that arose by habit, not strategy. Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common. While once effective, such setups can cause major issues around succession, tax planning and involving the next generation. A corporate team can take a fresh, business-led view of the farm, asking: Who owns the land and other critical assets? Who manages daily operations? Who carries the risk and who enjoys the return? What is the enduring plan for succession? From this review, the team can confirm whether the current setup is fit for purpose or if an alternative — for example an updated partnership agreement, a company, a limited liability partnership, or a blended model — would better meet the family’s aims. Tax efficiency through joined-up advice Tax sits at the centre of most
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In this issue: Disclosure requirements Scheme amendments Personal pensions Pension Protection Fund Pension scams and liberation Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers Disclosure requirements FCA publishes pensions dashboard regulatory framework The Financial Conduct Authority ( FCA) has issued PS24/15, setting out the regulatory framework for pensions dashboard service ( PDS) providers, following CP22/25 and CP24/4. Most respondents supported extending key parts of the FCA Handbook to PDS operators, so the final rules largely mirror the consultation proposals. Conversely, elements of the proposed conduct standards for PDS firms were viewed as overly prescriptive or too limiting, leading to targeted adjustments. The FCA underscores that operating a PDS is a novel activity, and building consumer confidence and trust is vital to the initiative’s success and longevity. For this reason, the FCA’s core...
The FCA’s ‘ Dear CEO letter’ stated that sums held in SIPPs are often higher than in other personal pensions, heightening the risk of greater consumer harm when issues emerge. SIPPs are a form of personal pension that offer consumers significant freedom in choosing investments. The letter also reported that certain SIPP providers had not been running trustee bank accounts with sufficient controls and oversight. Crucially, the entity operating the SIPP commonly also serves as the trustee. ‘ We have growing concerns about the handling of pension scheme money and assets by some firms, and the accuracy of firms’ books and records. We also have some feedback for firms on their implementation of the Consumer Duty’, wrote Lucy Castledine, the FCA’s consumer investments director, in the letter......
Urging reform of government policy, PSIG warned that people already deprived of tens of thousands of pounds by scammers can be hit again, facing 55% tax levies on withdrawals. In response, the group has initiated a petition to press the government to alter tax rules so victims are not left further out of pocket. Margaret Snowdon, PSIG chair, branded this a gross injustice and stressed that tax policy and legislation must change to better mirror the current realities of pension fraud and its consequences. She added that it is a profound disappointment to be in a position where a petition is even required to put this right......
In this issue: Autumn Budget 2024 The Pension Protection Fund The Pensions Ombudsman Scheme amendments Pensions dashboards Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers Autumn Budget 2024 Key pensions announcements and views from the market In the Autumn Budget 2024, delivered on 30 October 2024, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, stated the government’s overriding aim is to repair the economy’s foundations and drive change by safeguarding working people, mending the NHS and rebuilding Britain. The principal pensions measures are: from 6 April 2027, unused pension pots and death benefits payable from a pension will be counted within an individual’s estate for inheritance tax purposes. As part of these reforms, pension scheme administrators will be responsible for reporting and settling any inheritance tax due on unused pension funds and death...
This uplift means an average £29 extra each week for every member, said energy secretary Ed Miliband, speaking after Labour’s Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024. The money is drawn from an investment reserve set up in 1992 to act as a safeguard should the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme fall into deficit. When British Coal was sold off in 1994, the Conservative administration of the day pledged that any pension accrued beforehand would be protected from cuts and rise with inflation, in return for 50% of any surpluses. ‘ We owe a debt of gratitude to the mining communities that powered this country,’ Miliband said. ‘ For years, it has been a disgrace that government has taken funds that could have gone to miners and their loved ones. ‘ Today, that disgrace ends, and these monies are duly passed to the miners and their...
Inherited pension pots will fall within inheritance tax from April 2027, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed in the Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024. She said the move corrects a distortion that has seen pensions deployed as a tax-planning tool to pass on wealth, rather than fulfilling their core aim of supporting retirement. This reform sits among a suite of measures from the Labour government intended to address the previously announced £22 billion shortfall in public sector finances. As set out in the Autumn Budget Statement, HM Treasury confirmed that, from 6 April 2027, unused pension pots and death benefits payable from pension arrangements will be counted within an individual’s estate for inheritance tax ( IHT) calculations. In addition, pension scheme administrators will be responsible for reporting and settling any IHT owed on unspent pension monies and death benefits accordingly under these new...
Background The Fee- Paid Judicial Pension Scheme (‘ FPJPS’) was introduced in 2017, arising from the ruling in O’ Brien v Ministry of Justice [2013] UKSC 6. It broadly replicated the pension arrangements for salaried judges under the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993 (‘ JUPRA’) but, at launch, only awarded benefits for qualifying service from 7 April 2000 onwards. Following O’ Brien v Ministry of Justice ( Case C-432/17), FPJPS was revised to extend benefits to eligible service prior to 7 April 2000. The changes also allowed qualifying members to have benefits assessed under the Judicial Pensions Act 1981 (‘ JPA81’), whose provisions covered certain salaried judges with service before 31 March 1995. The Judicial Pension Scheme 2015 (‘ JPS15’), covering both salaried and fee-paid judges, began in 2015. In 2022, in response to concerns about recruiting and retaining judges, the Judicial Pension Scheme 2022 (‘...
In a press release on 25 October 2024, the PLSA urged the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP) to issue legislation or guidance following the Court of Appeal’s decision in Virgin Media Ltd v NTL Pension Trustees II Ltd and others [2024] EWCA Civ 843 ( Virgin v NTL), handed down in July 2024. The PLSA noted that its members are now handling an increasing volume of enquiries from pension scheme members asking whether the ruling means they should receive an improvement to their benefits. According to Joe Dabrowski, the PLSA’s deputy director of policy, this could prove to be a vast and expensive exercise, with numerous unintended knock-on effects for employers, pension schemes, the Pension Protection Fund and insurers......
People saving for retirement with 'lost' pension pots are foregoing about £9,470 on average, says research from the Pensions Policy Institute ( PPI) released in the run-up to National Pension Tracing Day. The PPI study was backed by the ABI and the PLSA, with support from the Pay Your Pension Some Attention campaign. Notably, the ABI and PLSA pointed out that individuals aged 55 to 75 are overlooking around £13,620 on average. Findings further indicated the overall total value of mislaid pension pots across the UK has risen by close to £12bn, a 60% jump since 2018. A 'lost' pension arises when someone loses sight of an account or does not claim it over time. The ABI and PLSA observed that numerous people may hold schemes from past employment or payments into retirement funds that they have lost track of over the years. Gavin...
Hill and another v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2024] UKFTT 844 ( TC) What are the practical implications of this case? The tribunal found the taxpayers’ evidence lacking, even though they seemingly depended entirely on professional advice. In particular, it concluded that, when given vague and uncertain guidance by their advisers, the taxpayers could not simply remain passive; further action was required to demonstrate a reasonable excuse that would prevent liability for failing to comply with an Information Notice, or alternatively to lessen the penalty imposed. In delivering the judgment, the judge set out, from an objective standpoint, a series of conclusions describing how a reasonable and prudent taxpayer should have acted on the facts. The message was that passivity in the face of unclear professional input falls short of what a diligent taxpayer should do, and that only active engagement could support...
Cambridge Rare Books Ltd v Pensions Regulator [2024] UKFTT 608 ( GRC) (‘ Cambridge Rare Books Ltd’ ) What are the practical implications of this case? For practitioners who advise either employers or the Regulator, Cambridge Rare Books Ltd is a practical illustration of the weight the FTT will give to reasonable employer proposals explaining how they plan to put right defaults in pension contributions in practice. The FTT expects the Regulator to impose penalties in a proportionate way, and will step in if it considers the FTT to have acted unreasonably in turn. When guiding employers exercising their rights under section 44 of the Pensions Act 2008, practitioners should ensure the Notice of Appeal places clear emphasis on how the employer proposes to remedy the default, including the precise manner in which this will be achieved. In Cambridge Rare Books Ltd, the FTT...
In this issue: Scheme governance Pension scams and liberation Pensions Dashboard Pension Protection Fund Key developments and materials Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers Scheme governance TPR urges pensions industry to improve its digital, data and technology strategy for pension savers On 22 October 2024, The Pensions Regulator ( TPR) unveiled its Digital, Data and Technology Strategy as a roadmap for TPR and the sector to respond to changes in the pensions market. By adopting new ways of working and modern tools, the Strategy seeks to drive efficiency, automation and innovation. Intended as a living document, it promotes an adaptive, mission-led approach to navigating the information age while aiming for better outcomes for workplace savers. Serving as a forward-looking blueprint, it also aims to cut unnecessary burdens on pension schemes, enable effective market competition, and support TPR’s own innovation while creating conditions that encourage schemes to do likewise in savers’...
TPR said it aims to simplify and sharpen regulation for pension schemes, which could lead to faster responses to risks and better protection for savers, together with fewer repetitive data submissions, simpler compliance via standardised processes, and a drive towards modern data practices. Paul Neville, the regulator’s executive director of digital, data and technology, noted that pensions are evolving rapidly and that TPR is harnessing the transformative power of digital, data and technology to deliver a regulatory approach that achieves better outcomes for savers......
National Insurance ( NI) Contribution pension relief Hymans Robertson warned that the rumoured cut or scrapping of National Insurance ( NI) Contribution pension relief would deal a significant blow to employers—especially those seeking to lift retirement outcomes for staff by contributing beyond the statutory minimum. Removing the relief would leave a company paying an extra £442 each year on a 5% contribution for an employee earning £32,000 annually, it said. Hannah English, head of defined contribution consulting at Hymans Robertson, cautioned that proposals expected in the forthcoming Autumn budget could have far-reaching consequences for businesses. Our worry is the potential effect where today’s NI saving is used to boost pension contributions, English added. The implications for employers would be vast, Hymans stressed......
The IA, in a letter to the FCA published on 18 October 2024, warned that the regulator’s plan to score pension providers with a traffic‑light style label risks stifling market innovation. It argued that schemes ought to be judged chiefly on delivery against their own strategic objectives, rather than set against other plans pursuing different aims. The letter expresses strong misgivings about the comparative elements of the package, noting that the potential downsides of receiving a red or amber mark, when measured against peers, would remove any clear motivation for providers to innovate within their investment offerings. The FCA’s consultation on a proposed value‑for‑money framework for defined contribution schemes closed on 17 October 2024. Under the proposals, pension providers would be assigned red, amber or green ratings—the ‘ RAG’ approach—mirroring the colour coding used for food product grading. The IA said it was...
At the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association conference in Liverpool on 16 October 2024, Neill Bull, TPR’s executive director for market oversight, said the regulator would establish fresh ties with the ten biggest professional trustee firms before Christmas 2024. Asked on 17 October 2024 for added detail about these plans, TPR declined to provide immediate clarification at that time. However, its corporate plan for 2024 to 2027, issued on 3 May 2024, set out high-level proposals to build an oversight framework for professional trustee firms, and signalled work on a trustee register to be developed over the coming years......
In this issue: Investment Disclosure requirements The Pensions Ombudsman Public sector Daily and weekly news alerts New content Dates for your diary Trackers Investment TPR launches new ESG resource to help trustees go beyond minimum compliance The Pensions Regulator ( TPR) has unveiled a single resource that gathers all its environmental, social and governance ( ESG) and climate content in one place. In a new blog aimed at helping pensions trustees exceed minimum ESG compliance, Mark Hill, TPR’s Climate and Sustainability Lead, said TPR research shows most trustees are meeting their ESG obligations, though many are doing so only at a basic level. He added that further measures are required to strengthen portfolio resilience and deliver improved outcomes for savers. While ESG and climate disclosures from pension schemes should set out how they are making the most of...
Haigh v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2024] UKFTT 810 ( TC) What are the practical implications of this case? Understanding the FTT’s conclusions in Haigh will assist practitioners facing FP 2012 notification refusal appeals. The ruling confirms that, when a taxpayer contests HMRC’s refusal of a notice, the FTT’s role is limited to testing compliance with regulation 4. The tribunal considered itself bound by The Executors of David Harrison ( Deceased) & Simon Harrison v HMRC [2021] UKUT 0273 ( TCC) ( Harrison), which states the FTT has no jurisdiction to review HMRC’s discretion. Drawing on Harrison’s construction of the FP 2012 Regulations, SI 2011/1752, reg 7, it defined the limits of its jurisdiction. Harrison accepts this narrow view yields an unwelcome consequence for taxpayers, and Haigh repeats that passage in full at paragraph 71. As a result, the FTT is confined to applying the tax...
TPR research on trustees’ ESG duties According to the Pensions Regulator ( TPR), most trustees are meeting their ESG obligations; however, Mark Hill said closer scrutiny of compliance indicates many pension schemes are only reaching a basic level of competence. In a blog post, Hill encouraged trustees to make strategic choices that integrate ESG matters, noting these can be financially material for schemes. He added that ESG and climate disclosures issued by schemes should clearly demonstrate the steps taken to capitalise on opportunities linked to the government’s drive towards a net-zero economy. Yet, he cautioned, disclosure on its own is insufficient; weaving ESG considerations into the broader decision-making of a scheme is essential to safeguard savers’ pensions—a vital step, he explained. TPR’s research underpins these findings......
Our research suggests that there is at least a £300bn pot The leading professional services firm said these assets might be channelled back to sponsoring employers or directed into national infrastructure projects. The government is looking at ways to prompt pension schemes to commit more funding to the real economy. Proposals on the table include permitting businesses to access pension assets when schemes hold a surplus. Pw C noted that assets across the UK’s 5,000 defined benefit retirement plans climbed to a record £300bn in September 2024, up from £280bn in August 2024......
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This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...
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