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.
The government’s latest proposals on the Pension Schemes Bill were debated in the House of Lords on 20 April. The Lords disagreed with a number of proposals, including the reinsertion of mandation clauses and the government’s amendments to asset allocation provisions. The Lords Insistence, Disagreement, Reasons, Non-insistence and Amendments in Lieu will be debated in the House of Commons on 22 April 2026.
A press release from The Pensions Regulator (TPR) underlines key messages given in the recent Pension Scams Action Group’s (PSAG) fighting pension fraud webinar (a recording of which is available via the link). The webinar includes PSAG’s latest work to disrupt potential scam websites, as well as an update from the Fraud Minister, Lord Hanson.
The Pensions Administration Standards Association (PASA) has issued guidance for trustees and administrators on assessing and calculating contingent spouse pensions (CSP). The guidance sets out where CSP values may need to be calculated, and how the approach is dependent on the availability and reliability of underlying data. PASA says: “accurate CSP data is critical not only for insurer transactions, but also for effective ongoing administration, actuarial valuation, regulatory readiness and, most importantly, ensuring dependants receive the correct benefits at the appropriate time”.
The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) recently conducted a survey of its members to establish the degree to which the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has changed in the UK pensions industry over the last year. The results showed that 100% of respondents are now using AI, up from 87% last year, and most respondents expect to see an increase in usage. Matthew Giles, SPP council member and head of pensions at Squire Patton Boggs said: “We have gone beyond the experimental phase of using AI to the realisation of tangible benefits, particularly in terms of speed, efficiency and the potential to deliver more personalised services while reducing costs. At the same time, concerns around risks such as inaccuracy and organisational nervousness are beginning to ease. Challenges remain, but it looks as though the industry is on the right track – ensuring AI is deployed responsibly so that it enhances, rather than replaces, the human expertise that underpins good pension outcomes”.
Matthew Kirk and Paul Jones, our international affairs advisers, look at implications for business stemming from the Iran War. Several scenarios are explored.
If you would like specific advice on any of these issues or anything else, please contact a member of our Pensions team.
