Here is our weekly summary of key legal and regulatory developments relevant to occupational pension schemes that you might have missed, with links for further information.
With less than two weeks to the dashboards connection deadline, Oliver Morley, CEO of the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), has confirmed that 96% of pension records covered by legislation will have connected to the dashboards ecosystem by the deadline of 31 October 2026. He also said that the remaining 4% of pension providers and schemes have approved connection deferrals, which will eventually lead to in-scope coverage of 100%. Separately, the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) has issued a blog on the current draft reporting standards, which are due to come into force on 1 March 2027. The blog links to guidance on interim manual reporting to MaPS, which schemes are expected to undertake until daily reporting is implemented via an application programming interface.
The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has published its sustainability report 2025/26. The report compares the PPF’s position in 2020/21 with what it has achieved to date in terms of sustainability. It notes that transition and sustainable assets analysis expanded across all asset classes, with approximately £6 billion of assets under management allocated to sustainable and transition opportunity investments. This represents approximately 19% of total assets. The PPF says that through its stewardship services provider, EOS, it engaged with 640 companies last year and that private markets stewardship was further strengthened through deeper manager oversight, improved reporting and detailed transition risk assessments. A key focus is the PPF’s climate watchlist, which comprises 99 companies that together account for at least 70% of its material financed emissions. Of these companies, 87% met the PPF’s carbon emissions disclosure target, while 79% maintained or improved their transition pathway initiative management quality score.
As part of its 2030 Ready series, Pensions UK has published a guide to using AI within the pensions industry. The guide is intended to help the industry to embrace AI responsibly, while maintaining clear accountability and robust governance. It provides a deep dive into the practical decisions that schemes now need to make around AI to help people have a better income in retirement. Pensions UK says that it is working with The Pensions Regulator’s Pensions Data and Digital Industry Working Group to develop and provide access to a dynamic AI guidance tool.
Our colleagues have published an updated insight looking at the Employment Rights Act 2025 (Act) and its impact on insolvency practitioners and restructuring plans. The insight outlines how the Act strengthens employee protections in a number of areas, including unfair dismissal, collective redundancy consultation, dismissal and reengagement, family-friendly rights and worker protections. It also explains how these changes may increase the procedural complexity and potential cost exposure of restructurings, including higher tribunal penalties and an increased likelihood of claims. The insight reflects changes in the timeline for implementation and updates following further consultation.
If you would like specific advice on any of these issues or anything else, please contact a member of our Pensions team.
