Paul Newman KC looks at the recent Deputy Pensions Ombudsman’s decision in Ms H, which raises questions about whether requiring full contributions after maximum pension accrual amounts to age discrimination, even where the benefit cap is lawful. To read the article, click on the pdf below.

In Henley v Thurrock Council, the Employment Tribunal dismissed age discrimination claims brought by an employee made redundant shortly before his 55th birthday, who consequently missed out on an immediate unreduced LGPS pension. Although the council knew that a later dismissal would trigger pension strain costs exceeding £350,000, the tribunal found that the redundancy timetable had not been accelerated because of his age. It also held that any discrimination would have been

Can retirement at “normal pension age” be early retirement for TUPE purposes? Paul Newman KC examines a recent Ombudsman case and its potentially far-reaching implications for Beckmann rights. To read the article, click on the link below.

What happens to members’ pensions if a DB scheme buys out and the insurer later fails? Paul Newman KC offers a practical guide to the capital, liquidity, insolvency and FSCS protections behind bulk annuities. To read the article, click on the pdf below.

Can an employer replace pension scheme trustees because it wants a more "commercial" approach to surplus? This article considers this increasingly important endgame question in the light of recent authority. To read the article, click on the pdf below.

Paul Newman KC considers a recent High Court decision on when time begins to run for pension transfer claims under section 27 FSMA. To read the article, click on the pdf below.