United Kingdom

UK - Software provider Aires has launched SMPI Smart, a statutory money purchase illustrations package aimed at small to medium-sized pensions administrators.

UK - The £736m Torfaen County Borough Council (Greater Gwent) Pension Fund has used online b2b company bfinance to attract tenders for mandates worth £490m.

UK - The launch of Watson Wyatt's Pension Scheme Administration Costs Survey 2002 has seen an immediate flood of responses.

UK - Steel workers are backing members of the Sea-Land Pensions Plan in a bid to force the government to improve workers' pensions rights.

UK - Pension scheme staff must dedicate themselves to improving administration standards, a leading pensions expert claims.

UK - Official estimates of the amount of retirement savings made last year have been more than halved following an investigation by the Office of National Statistics.

UK - The £660m Lincolnshire County Council Pension Fund has dropped Morley Fund Management from its £79m fixed income brief following a review of its investment arrangements.

UK - Unions are making last ditch efforts to keep Scottish Widows' final salary scheme open.

UK - Gilts are overpriced and offer returns that are too low, Tilney Investments' economics director Peter Bickley claims.

UK - Schools will have to increase payments to the state-administered teacher's final salary scheme by more than 5%, the government says.