One of the most amusing stories that has arisen in the past week (although it has a serious purpose) is the proposal that Diageo, the drinks conglomerate has come up with to try and solve its Final Salary Scheme funding deficit. As readers may know, when an actuarial valuation reveals a deficit, the law requires that the Trustees and the Employer get together to try to agree a cunning scheme to repair that deficit over a period of time. This is called a Recovery Plan.
Posts Tagged ‘Deficits’
Who’d have thought it…?
Although it is really something of a statement of the bleedin’ obvious, PwC have recently issued a report which after extensive (and no doubt extremely expensive) research has concluded that Final Salary Pension Schemes will have ceased to exist within 10 years. This is not exactly ground breaking news to those of us within the Pension Industry who have been watching the death throes for several years now.
Thrown to the Wolves
The Conservatives have indicated that if the PPF ever faces financial meltdown due to increasing claims on its purse, were they to be in power, they would not bail it out. Brave words from the sidelines, but I wonder whether in reality they would be willing to face the wrath of the ageing electorate by pulling the plug on it were (for arguments sake) BA and a few other big players hit turbulence.
A Few Predictions
It wouldn’t be a ’start of the year’ without a few predictions so Mystic Jens has been gazing into her crystal ball and has seen the future…mind you, she was still a little the worse for wear at the time so please do not take any of these suggestions seriously…until they come true that is!!!
First, a bit of a no brainer – there will be even fewer Defined Benefit schemes by the end of 2010 than there are now.
The new Tory Government will announce a review of pension provision with particular focus on the Personal Accounts Regime due for introduction in 2011..er…2012…er whenever…!!
Fly me to the moon….
It has long been a bit of a joke in the pension world that BA is a pension scheme that occasionally flew a few planes. Well, many a true word spoken in jest it seems.
Although the immediate threat of a strike over the Holiday period has been averted, it is almost certain that a fresh ballot will produce the same result. What’s that got to do with pensions you may ask? The answer is painfully simple.
BA has a combined £3.7 billion black hole in it’s pension scheme funding.The law requires that the Trustees and the Company reach some sort of agreement on how that deficit is going to be dealt with by June 2010.
Don’t Panic – But it Could be Worse than You Think!!
First the good news is we are being told that the recession is over and the FTSE 100 has risen to over 5300 at at 17th of November. You would think then that pension scheme trustees would be expecting reducing deficits when their scheme actuary comes to look at the figures.
On the other hand, other observers are telling us that pension deficits could have been underestimated by nearly £270 billion, and far from things getting better, in reality the funding position of schemes is getting far worse. And it is beginning to effect not only defined benefit schemes but defined contribution schemes too are also showing severe underperformance.
Jennie advises large multi-employer schemes as well as smaller single employer arrangements and has wide experience of both Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit schemes. Jennie qualified in 1986 originally as a criminal prosecutor. She sits as a Magistrate in her local justice area and is an Approved Chairman and Deputy Chair of the Bench Training and Development Committee. Jennie was formerly Legal Director of the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority. When her busy practice allows, Jennie likes to indulge her passion for travelling. To consult Jennie on any corporate Pensions matter, please call her on +44 (0)20 7749 2700 or send her an email by clicking below: