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 Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) is consulting on updates to its reporting standards to introduce automatic daily data reporting to the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) from November 2026. The current reporting standards require records to be generated and retained but not that those records be routinely reported to MaPS. The requirement for daily reporting is in line with previously stated intentions. PDP will work with integrated service providers and schemes on implementation and testing. Consultation closes on 25 March 2026.
The Pensions Administration Standards Association (PASA) has issued a practical guide to navigating buy-in and superfund transactions to support earlier, better-informed conversations between trustees, administrators and advisers. PASA points out that these transitions are not business-as-usual activity, and “experience shows the operational and administrative impacts can be underestimated.”
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has published its response to the “Access and fairness” consultation that proposed a number of detailed technical changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). The proposed changes received a high degree of support from respondents and will be implemented, with some phasing-in to allow for the development of guidance and in recognition of the significant demands already placed on administering authorities. Of potential wider interest is the change to the treatment of unpaid additional maternity, adoption and shared parental leave starting after 1 April 2026, which will be pensionable in the LGPS (at the employer’s cost) as a means of addressing the gender pay gap.
Many trustees will be in the process of carrying out the scheme’s first own risk assessment (ORA). Pensions partner Matthew Giles shares some tips for carrying out the ORA in this short video.
In response to a question on tackling fraud in the pensions system, Torsten Bell has confirmed in a written statement that the government will consult in the coming months on its “work to strengthen the transfer process with enhanced protections”.
Following additional evidence, the government has reviewed and now published a new decision in relation to the way in which it communicated a change to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s. In line with its earlier decision, it has decided against making any compensation payments to affected women in relation to failings in the way in which the change to state pension age was communicated.
We are pleased to have been involved as contributing editors with the publication of the new International Comparative Legal Guide on Workplace Pensions and Regulations 2026. This first edition provides in-depth analysis of laws and regulations across numerous jurisdictions and is designed to provide readers with a comprehensive guide to the current issues affecting workplace pension laws and regulations, from a multijurisdictional perspective. The UK Chapter is free to access.
If you would like specific advice on any of these issues or anything else, please contact a member of our Pensions team.
