The DWP has published revised staging dates for automatic enrolment.

The DWP has published draft legislative amendments on equalization of benefits to take account of guaranteed minimum pension differences. It is also seeking opinions on a possible method of equalization.

In the run up to the holiday period the DWP has made various announcements: a new employer debt option, the abolition of DC short-service refunds and a consultation on the 2012/13 thresholds for auto-enrolment.

On 2 December 2011, the High Court ruled that the Government's switch from the Retail Prices Index to the Consumer Prices Index as the basis for increasing public sector workers' pensions was lawful.

The Pensions Regulator has laid down six principles for defined contribution pension schemes.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer presented his Autumn Statement to Parliament on 29 November 2011.

HMRC has published revised guidance about the ability to ‘carry forward’ unused annual allowance for the three tax years prior to 6 April 2011.

Over the past 12 months, the Pensions Regulator has made it clear that it wants to see meaningful improvement in the governance of DC pension schemes.

The PPF has published its draft determination for the 2012/13 levy.

A European Court of Justice ruling has resulted in changes to HMRC's policies about VAT on employee benefits provided by salary sacrifice.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the statutory definition of 'money purchase benefits' does not require 'equilibrium of assets and liabilities'.

In July 2010, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) published its UK Stewardship Code., which seeks to improve the quality of engagement between institutional investors and investee companies.

The Department for Work and Pensions has published several sets of draft automatic enrolment Regulations for consultation.

Finance (No.3) Bill 2010/11 became the Finance Act 2011 on 19 July 2011.

The Department for Work and Pensions is proposing to amend the section 75 debt rules affecting multi-employer defined benefit schemes.

The International Accounting Standards Board has issued a new version of the international financial reporting standard for employee benefits, IAS 19, effective for years starting on or after 1 January 2013.

The International Accounting Standards Board has recently published a number of exposure drafts and new standards which impact on insurance accounting.

A challenge to the legality of the Government’s decision to use the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) as an estimate of the ‘general level of prices’, brought by a group of trade unions, is scheduled to be considered by the High Court in July.

The Government has put forward options for changing the tax treatment of asset-backed pension scheme funding arrangements.

Recent changes to income drawdown provisions are likely to lead to greater flexibility of retirement options for employees.

"Default" strategies for most DC schemes have traditionally focused on lifestyle options, with equities in the growth phase and bonds and cash at retirement. Is this strategy still appropriate and what new developments have we seen in this area?

The DWP has published a Green Paper setting out possibilities for reform of the State pension system.

Equitable Life Assurance Society is to make enhanced payments to with-profits policy-holders who ’leave’.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his Budget Report on 23 March 2011.

Is UK residential housing an appropriate investment for pension funds? Perhaps, but financing affordable rental accommodation or loans to social housing associations may offer better investment opportunities than speculating on rising house prices.

On 14 March 2011, the results of the fifth Quantitative Impact Study (QIS5) were published by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA).

The European Commission recently published the draft text of their Omnibus II Directive, which makes some changes to the Solvency II requirements for insurers.

The Government has decided that members of registered pension schemes who incur annual allowance charges after 6 April 2011 will in some circumstances be able to have the 'scheme administrators' pay the tax and reduce their benefits accordingly.

The Government has issued a consultation paper on the ‘Fair Deal’ policy that applies when there are compulsory transfers of public sector staff.

The ECJ has ruled that the use of sex-specific actuarial factors in the context of insurance should not continue to be permitted after 21 December 2012.