United Kingdom

UK - Tim Watson, director, client relations at F&C Asset Management, has issued a strong warning to new secretary of state for work and pensions, David Blunkett (pictured), not to pre-empt the Turner report on the UK pensions system.

UK - Oilfield services company Schlumberger has outsourced the administration of its UK pension scheme to Watson Wyatt.

UK - A new service launched by accountancy and business firm Baker Tilly allows pension fund trustees to assess risks in the scheme and the need for a review of the sponsoring employer's financial position.

UK - Ensuring pension fund investment arrangements are cost-effective and operationally efficient is the top concern for more than six in ten organisations, a new survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting has found.

UK - Alan Brown, who resigned from his post as group chief investment officer at State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) in March, has joined Schroders as the new head of investment.

UK - Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, has warned politicians not to be swayed by employer groups opposed to a compulsory system for the occupational pension sector.

UK - Legal & General, Henderson and Merrill Lynch have lost mandates worth £1.06bn with the Environment Agency after it revised its asset allocation for its Active Pension Fund from a balanced to specialist approach and appointed six new managers.

UK - A claim by Credit Lyonnais Group UK pension scheme and its trustees that Watson Wyatt overstated the funding position of the pension scheme has been dismissed in the High Court of Justice.

UK - Pressure from pension funds is forcing investment managers to deliver significant improvements in client reporting, new research by Investit has found.

UK - Amicus, the UK's largest private sector union, has called for pension compulsion modelled on Australia's compulsory superannuation system as a solution to the UK pension crisis.