United Kingdom

UK - The Sainsbury's pension scheme trustees have refuted claims of a fund buyout which appeared in the press following renewed interest in the supermarket group by Qatari investors.

UK - Better trustee scrutiny of their sponsoring company in relation to worsening economic conditions could help manage pension fund risk, according to Aon Consulting.

UK- Aberdeen Asset Managers and the University of Edinburgh Business School have launched a series of educational seminars for the pensions industry.

UK - The £1.45bn (US$2.89bn) Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund is considering radically restructuring its investment portfolio, pushing over 40% of the fund's assets into alternatives.

UK - The Pensions Regulator has published guidance to help trustees of occupational pension schemes meet government expectations for key wind up activities to be completed within two years.

UK - The Pension Research Accountants Group (PRAG) has overwhelmingly rejected a proposal by the Accounting Standards Board (ASB) to force pension schemes to recognise their actuarial liability to pay pensions in the future.

UK - The £1.45bn (US$2.89bn) Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund has placed mandates for infrastructure and emerging market debt worth in the region of £160m out to tender.

UK - James Purnell, secretary of state for Work and Pensions, is planning to commission formal research to assess the impact of more member nominated trustees (MNTs).

UK - Deborah Fuhr will continue to focus on delta one products including extensive research on ETFs following her shock departure from Morgan Stanley last week.

UK - The University of Southampton's pension scheme for its non academic workers has awarded a contract for actuarial and consulting services to Barnett Waddingham.