Issue - meetings

The Board has requested an update on Scheme management activities.

Witnesses:

Danni Lamaignere, Scheme Manager

Janine May, Senior Pensions Advisor

Jo Hart, Pension Support Assistant (MS Teams)

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Scheme Manager introduced the report and provided a brief summary.

2.    The Board noted details related to the McCloud - Age Discrimination Remedy, 10% Pensionable Allowance, Retained Settlement – Matthew’s cases and tracing, the pension dashboard, Pre-Retirement Courses, LGA training, Unit 4 Payroll Adjustments, Communications and usage of the SharePoint site, and risk management, as outlined in the report.

3.    The Board noted that the deadline for issuing Annual Benefit Statements (ABS) had passed due to delays in obtaining the necessary payroll data for XPS to produce the statements. It was also noted that Remediable Service Statements (RSS) for active members had been similarly affected. Members acknowledged that officers were continuing to work with Payroll to obtain the required data. Additionally, the Board noted that the deadline for Pension Savings Statements had also been missed, and the Regulator had been informed. Officers further confirmed that the Regulator had been notified of the delays to the ABSs and RSSs, with the breaches logged internally.

4.    With regard to obtaining data from Payroll, the Chairman suggested that officers engage with the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Team, who had experienced greater success in securing the data, to explore potential assistance and best practices.

5.    A Member raised concerns that some individuals had not received their Annual Benefit Statements from the previous year. Officers confirmed they would contact XPS to investigate this matter further outside the meeting.

6.    In Regard to the Retained Settlement – Matthew’s cases, Members noted that the Workforce Working Group (WWG) had agreed to a tracing exercise in January 2024. A decision had been made to focus on the calculations and creation of the statements over the previous few months, with the tracing exercise to be initiated in due course. The Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) had been approved, and a contract had been drafted. The contract was currently with the legal team awaiting final approval.

7.    With regard to the Annual Benefit Statements (ABS) and Remediable Service Statement (RSS) issues related to data collection, the Chairman enquired whether officers were obliged to report the matter to the Scheme Advisory Board. Officers confirmed that there was no obligation but suggested it might be beneficial to provide the information. The Chairman concluded that reporting should only be pursued if deemed necessary.

Actions/ further information to be provided:

None.

Resolved:

The Board noted the report.

The Board has requested an update on Scheme management activities.

Witnesses:

Danni Lamaignere, Scheme Manager

Gary Bartliff, Senior Pensions Advisor

Key points raised during the discussion:

1. Officers introduced the report and provided Members with a brief overview. Members noted details related to McCloud - Age Discrimination Remedy, 10% Pensionable Allowance, Retained Settlement – Matthew’s cases,Annual Benefit Statements / Remediable Service Statement, Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) Rectification, Pension Dashboard, Pre-Retirement Course, Training, Pension Team Resourcing and that Pensions Sharepoint site. Full details could be found within the published report. 
2. In regard to the Retained Settlement – Matthew’s cases, the Chairman noted that 208 members had been contacted and inquired whether any additional members needed to be reached. Officers confirmed that they had contacted all known members and stated that a tracing exercise would be conducted to determine if there were any further members to contact. A Member also requested details on the total number of members in the population to compare with the 208 who had been contacted. Officers agreed to provide this information outside the meeting.
3. In regard to the Annual Benefit Statements / Remediable Service Statement, Members noted that the End-of-Year (EOY) return for 2023/24 had not yet been issued to XPS. The data, which was due to be supplied by the payroll team by the end of May 2024, had been requested two months earlier but had still not been produced. The Chairman mentioned that he had written to the relevant Head of Service to highlight the issue and received a response indicating that re-planning was taking place within the service to allocate the necessary resources to complete the work. No further update had been received since. The Vice-Chairman highlighted that the Pension Team was scheduled to meet with the relevant department after the Board meeting and stressed the importance of promptly communicating any potential delays in issuing statements to members. The Chairman requested that the Board be regularly updated on the timelines.
4. In regard to Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) Rectification, the representative from XPS confirmed that the data would be with their projects team and that an update would be provided at the next meeting.
5. In regard to the Unit 4 Payroll Adjustments, a member asked if officers were aware of the total number of members impacted and whether they had been contacted to state that there was an issue that would be resolved in due course. Officers stated that Payroll were dealing with this and correcting contributions. Officers agreed request an update from payroll.

Actions/ further information to be provided:

A6/24 - Retained Settlement – Matthew’s cases – It was agreed that officers share the total number of members in the population to compare with the 208 who had been contacted. The Scheme Manager agreed to provide this information outside the meeting.

A7/24 – Unit 4 Payroll Adjustments – A member inquired whether officers were aware of the total number of affected members and whether they had been notified about the issue and its resolution. Officers confirmed that Payroll was actively addressing the issue and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28

The Board has requested an update on Scheme management activities.

Witnesses:

Key points raised during the discussion:

1. The Scheme Manager introduced the report and highlighted the following points:
   1. McCloud - Age Discrimination Remedy – It was noted that the GAD calculation data was sent to XPS for the unprotected & tapered pension members in March 2024 in order to meet the deadline for the production of their Remediable Service Statements (RSS).  The Pension Team continued to work on the GAD data collection exercise to collate and report the GAD calculator data to XPS for each cohort of membership, in accordance with the RSS timetable. Members further noted that the Project Implementation Data Requests had been completed.
   2. 10% Pensionable Allowance – Members noted that the project had been put on hold due to resources in the Pensions Team and the priority given to dealing with issues arising from the implementation of Unit 4. 
   3. Pension Team Resourcing – it was noted that the Pensions Team had appointed to the post of Pensions Officer; however the individual concerned secured another role elsewhere in the Council. The Job description is currently being reviewed and will be placed out to advert imminently.
   4. Matthews – Retained Scheme – On-Call Access – It was noted that the Pensions Team continued to receive completed EOI forms and currently have received replies from roughly 41%. The Workforce Working Group agreed to a tracing exercise in January 2024.  The Pensions Team are currently looking at  potential data protection issues before carrying out the trace. In regard to the timeline for completion of statements, members noted that the project completion deadline was March 2025. To date, 11 statements had been sent of the 60 that should have been issued - due to low resources, the complexity of the calculations and statement completion, and the data needed to complete the calculations. Members of the Board stated that it would be helpful to receive a further update at the next meeting on the project’s progress. Following further discussion, the Board asked for detail on the implications for the SFRS and pension members if the deadline was missed. Officers agreed to provide a response following the meeting.
   5. Annual Benefit Statements / Remediable Service Statement – Members noted a correction sent to members in the newsletter, signposting to information on the SharePoint site in April 2024.
   6. Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) Rectification – Members noted that data from Mercer had recently been sent to XPS to allow completion of the exercise.
   7. Pension Dashboard – Members noted that XPS had created a document to help schemes get Pensions Dashboard ready and would follow with a Dashboard Connection Readiness Report which will be more specific to SFRS.  The expected staging date for Public Service Pension Schemes will be around September 2025.
   8. Pre-Retirement Course – noted that, following positive feedback from the first two courses held by Affinity Connect in 2023, the Pension Team have arranged two further course dates, in April 2024 and September 2024. Members noted that 8 -10  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18

The Board has requested an update on Scheme management activities.

Witnesses:

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Senior Pensions Advisor introduced the report and highlighted the following points:

a.    In regard to the McCloud - Age Discrimination Remedy, officers stated that communications were ongoing and highlighted that 29 scheme members were due to retire this year. It was further highlighted that the Pension Team continue to work on the GAD data collection exercise to collate and report the GAD calculator data to XPS, for each cohort of membership, in accordance with the RSS timetable. Members further noted that, since 1 October 2023, any retirement had been paid remedy benefits. It was noted that those who retired before 1 October 2023 would be dealt with under the immediate choice cohort however there was a brief pause while the Home Officer considers tax implications. Officers agreed to provide a report on progress against the plans for those who retired before October 2023 outside of the meeting. 

b.    Noted details around the 10% Pensionable Allowance as outlined in the report.

c.     Noted details around the Matthews - Retained Scheme – On-Call Access as outlined in the report. Members noted that the Pension Team had submitted a business case regarding their intention to appoint a specialist ‘member tracing’ service ‘ITM’, to ensure communications were being sent to the correct addresses.

d.    In regard to the Annual Benefit Statements, officers stated that they had not yet confirmed a revised timeline with the Pension Regulator. A Member of the Board noted that there was a delay to the publication this year, partly due to issues with Unit 4, and asked whether the following Annual Benefit Statements would be available on time. Officers confirmed that the Payroll team were aware and that officers were awaiting detail on the benefit specification from XPS. It was also noted that Payroll were due to test the migration of data from SAP to Unit 4. The Chairman stated that it would be helpful to include an update on this within future Scheme Manager Update Reports. A Member asked whether a record of exceptions was available and officers confirmed that a log of exceptions was recorded and it was agreed to share it within a future meeting.

e.    Provided detail on the Pre-Retirement Courses as outlined in the report.

f.      Members noted detail in regard to the Pension Dashboard.

g.    It was noted that the Pensions Team were pleased to report the role of Senior Pension Adviser was now confirmed and the new member would be joining the team on 5 February 2024.

h.    Noted details on communications as outlined in the report.

2.    The Chairman thanked officers for their report.

Actions/ further information to be provided:

A1/24 - In regard to the McCloud - Age Discrimination Remedy, officers agreed to provide a report on progress against the plans for those who retired before October 2023 outside of the meeting. 

A2/24 - It was agreed to include an update on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6

The Board has requested an update on Scheme management activities.

Witnesses:

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Senior Pensions Advisor introduced the report and highlighted the following points:

a.    In regard to the McCloud - Age Discrimination Remedy, Members noted that the Government published their response to the consultation document in July 2023 and that the legislation came into force on 1 October 2023.

b.    In regard to the McCloud - Age Discrimination Remedy, Members noted that a calculator had been developed by the Government Actuaries Department (GAD) which was released to Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) at the end of August 2023. A Member suggested that information on the GAD calculator and contribution adjustment was made available to scheme members on the SharePoint site.

c.     Noted details around the 10% Pensionable Allowance as outlined in the report.

d.    Noted details around the Matthews - Retained Scheme – On-Call Access as outlined in the report. Members noted that guidance had been provided by the Local Government Authority on how administrate cases where scheme members were affected by both Matthews and McCloud.

e.    Noted that work around the Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) Rectification was ongoing.

f.      Provided detail on the Pre-Retirement Courses as outlined in the report. A member of the Board stated that they felt the courses were very helpful and thanks the team for their work.

g.    Noted details on communications as outlined in the report.

2.    The Chairman thanked officers for their report.

Actions/ further information to be provided:

None.

Resolved:

The Board noted the report.

The Board has requested an update on Scheme management activities.

Witnesses:

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Senior Pensions Advisor introduced the report and highlighted the following points:

a.    The data return for members of the 2006 scheme was due to be completed by the end of June 2023. Although the team have been working tirelessly on this project, the deadline will need to be extended to 31 July 2023.

b.    Thanked those that contributed towards the McCloud consultation.

c.     Noted that the Pensions Team's immediate priority focused on completing the McCloud data collection exercise before re-commencing with the 10% project.

d.    Noted details on risks related to the Matthews Retained scheme.

e.    In regard to pay award detials for active members, Members noted that a communication to confirm when the pay award data will be included in projections would be sent to members once the Pensions Team had received the pay award data. The Chairman asked that officers contact Board Members if they were unlikely to meet the deadline of 31 August 2023. Officers also confrim that this would be logged as a potential risk within the Risk Register.

f.      Noted that the abatement policy had been completed and approved by the Workforce Working Group (WWG) and was available to view on the Pensions SharePoint site.

g.    Noted that a meeting was hosted by XPS Administration to discuss the preparations and challenges faced by fire authorities with regards to implementation of the McCloud Age Discrimination legislation.

h.    Noted details related to communications since the last meeting.

2.    The Vice-Chairman thanked officers and stated that he had recevied good feedback from scheme members on Communications.

3.    A member asked for detail on the number of expressions of interest on the Matthews Scheme. Officers confrimed that 200 members were in scope for the modified scheme and 100 members had submitted an expression of interest. The member of the board raised concerns that scheme members were unaware of the opporunity to register an interest and asked that officers consider also confriming whether a member was not interested.

Actions/ further information to be provided:

None.

Resolved:

The Board noted the report.

The Board has requested an update on Scheme management activities.

Witnesses:

Sally Wilson, Scheme Manger

Carrie Pearce, Pensions Project Officer

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Scheme Manager introduced the report and highlighted detail related to:

a.    McCloud Age Discrimination

b.    the McCloud consultation where Members noted that a meeting to review the consultation response was scheduled for 16 May 2023

c.     10% Pensionable Allowance

d.     updates related to the modified scheme

e.    details related to the spring budget

f.      details related to the pay award

g.    the next auto enrolment date in 2025

h.    that Richard Scarth was recently appointed as a substitute member of the board

i.      details related to recent training from the LGA.

2.    In regard to communications, the Chairman said that the Board would welcome any feedback on communications from the employee representatives.

Actions/ further information to be provided:

None.

Resolved:

The Board noted the report.