Select committee: Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 18
Fifth report - Protecting pension savers—five years on from the Pension Freedoms: Accessing pension savings
Published 18 Jan 2022
Paragraph 76
Addressed to Department for Work and Pensions
Work and Pensions Committee Protecting pension savers – five years on from the Pension Freedoms: Accessing pension savings All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Many savers have multiple pension pots with different providers and schemes. At the moment, it is not possible for providers and regulators to aggregate data on individual savers, rather than individual pension pots. This makes it more difficult to ensure that savers are getting the advice they need. We recommend that aggregating and individual savers, rather than pots, becomes a key priority for the FCA, the Pensions Regulator and the Department for Work and Pensions. As a matter of urgency, so as not to delay the programme, the Department for Work and Pensions should work with the Pensions Dashboard Programme to establish whether pensions dashboards may be a route for doing this.
From: Work and Pensions Committee, Fifth report - Protecting pension savers—five years on from the Pension Freedoms: Accessing pension savings (HC 237), paragraph 76, 18 January 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 27 April 2022 (deadline 18 March 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government "notes" the Committee's report, commits to a call for evidence in May 2022 on occupational scheme decumulation, and declines several recommendations, including automatic Pension Wise bookings, a usage goal and annual reporting.
- On Pension Wise, the government "disagree[s] with the proposal to automatically book Pension Wise appointments", citing risks of inappropriate guidance and disengagement; it does "not support setting a goal" for combined use of Pension Wise and paid-for advice.
- It commits to a Stronger Nudge, in force from 1 June 2022, requiring schemes to offer to book a Pension Wise appointment for members accessing defined contribution benefits.
- On trust-based schemes, it says it would "not be appropriate" to introduce investment pathways-style requirements until more is known, and DWP intends to issue a call for evidence in May 2022.
- It believes an annual assessment of pension freedoms and annual reporting on pensions advice "is not necessary" at this time, but will "keep this recommendation under review".