McCloud to apply to all public service schemes

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced in a written statement that ‘the government believes that the difference in treatment will need to be remedied across all those schemes. This includes schemes for the NHS, civil service, local government, teachers, police, armed forces, judiciary and fire and rescue workers. Continuing to resist the full implications of the judgment in Court would only add to the uncertainty experienced by members’. As we are informed of the progress of these remedies we will alert employers through the Pensions Line and our website.

The full statement can be found on the parliament web site

Suspended Tier 3 Ill Health Pensions

A member who has a suspended Tier 3 ill-health pension (awarded under the ‘2014 Scheme’) may request that the suspended pension is brought into payment earlier than their Normal Pension Age on ill health grounds. Before the request is approved, the former employer must obtain a certificate from an approved IRMP showing whether, in their opinion, the member is unlikely to be capable of undertaking gainful employment before their Normal Pension Age, as a result of ill-health or infirmity of mind or body. An LGPS Ill Health Guide can be found here and the relevant ill health certificates will be available on the website shortly.

Updated Payroll Guide available

There has been some updates to the LGPS 2014 Payroll Guide and the latest version can be found here.

ESS Survey

Thank you to those of you who completed the survey in last months edition. If you haven’t already done so, please could you take a few minutes to complete this short survey so that we can capture some user feedback before we plan the training workshops.

Clerk to Governors

As stated in May’s edition, we would like to check the status and accuracy of the records we hold for any members of the LGPS who are employed as a Clerk to Governor to ensure consistency
If you haven’t already done so, please could you provide a list of any members of the pension scheme working as a Clerk to Governor. We ask that the report includes the Employer Name, National Insurance Number, Surname, Initials, and Payroll Ref, to assist in identifying the individual records and send your list to the Employer & Communications Team mailbox

TUPE’s & New Academies

If you are outsourcing services and have a number of staff who will be subject to TUPE and moving to a new employer or your school is converting to an Academy or moving MAT, please do not submit any leaver forms as this will complicate the process – instead there is a staff data capture spreadsheet you can complete on our website.

Keep us updated

Please remember to keep us updated with any changes in staff responsible for completing our forms (authorised signatories). This can be done by completing our via our online form.

You can also use this form to notify us of your IDRP Stage 1 Appeals Officer and any delegated authorised contacts.

Payment of Pension Fund Contributions

Please remember to inform us and the relevant Finance team each time you have paid your pension scheme contributions, by filling in the Monthly Contributions Form. If we receive the returns right away with the payments and they are correct - it makes the process so much easier, so please ensure that you build this form into your procedures.

If you are a Somerset Pension Fund employer, please contact the Corporate Finance Team for a copy of the Monthly Contribution Return: Corporatefinancepens@somerset.gov.uk

If you are a Devon Pension Fund Employer, you will need to use the online EAS5 form. If you have not already registered, a login can be obtained from the Employer and Communications Team.

Contacts

Employer & Communications  Team

Quick links

Employer Services (ESS) Guide

Peninsula Pensions Employers' Pages

Peninsula Pensions  Employers' Guide

Ill Health Retirement Guidance

Pensionable Pay Guidance

Assumed Pensionable Pay Guidance

IDRP Guidance

LGPS regulations and guidance

Fund Investments

LGPS National Website

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