Legislation

UK - Companies can mitigate the brutal and blunt snapshot FRS17 gives of pension liabilities by give more scheme details in their accounts, Bacon & Woodrow claims.

UK - Firms are being urged to review their pension scheme contribution rates following the Chancellor's decision to increase National Insurance rates.

UK - Alan Pickering's Simplification Review will be hamstrung by a power struggle between the department for work and pensions and the Treasury, experts fear.

UK - Pension funds may be forced to meet member insurance costs, as an increasing number of insurance companies look to cap group policies following the September 11 terrorist attacks, according to Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

UK - Pension schemes will face large fines unless they meet looming deadlines on scheme wind-ups, OPRA warns.

UK - Companies should look at cutting defined benefit scheme costs before making the jump to defined contribution, Bacon & Woodrow argues.

UK/EUROPE - The UK's Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) is considering speaking out against the European pensions directive.

UK/EUROPE - The UK's Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) is considering speaking out against the European pensions directive.

UK - On March 15, 2002, the Department for Work and Pensions announced that it had laid legislation to reduce the administrative burden on pension schemes. The draft legislation was consulted on in May 2001 and has now emerged with few changes.

GLOBAL - The September 11 terrorist attacks on the US only had a brief and moderate effect on the finance world, Deutsche Asset Management claims.