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Helen Nadin

Helen Nadin

Helen is TUC policy officer for pensions and is responsible for policy on private occupational, personal and state pensions, including public service pensions.
Helen joined the TUC in 2007, after working for the NSPCC.

Web: http://www.touchstoneblog.org.uk
  • Pensions & Investment

    Pension schemes face increased solvency stakes

    24th January 2012 — Filed under: Pensions & Investment

    Helen Nadin Helen Nadin

    In October the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) published the consultation ‘Response to Call for Advice on the review of Directive 2003/41/EC: second consultation’. The consultation covered EIOPA’s draft advice to the European Commission on the review of the Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision (IORP – Directive 2003/41/EC). The Directive applies to occupational pension schemes, which unlike insurance-based pension schemes do so on a not-for-profit basis.

    EIOPA will give their final advice to the Commission in mid-February on the reform of the IORP Directive, with a view to publishing a draft Directive later in the year. While this may sound very technical, the outcome of the consultation could be pivotal – and extremely adverse –for UK defined benefit (DB) pension schemes and the wider European Union economy. It is an issue that significantly concerns the TUC.

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  • Pensions & Investment

    The increase in State Pension Age to 66: Are the Government’s transitional arrangements really such a concession?

    14th October 2011 — Filed under: Pensions & Investment

    Helen Nadin Helen Nadin

    The Government tabled an amendment to the Pensions Bill yesterday to be debated next week which will cap the maximum increase in women’s State Pension Age (SPA) to 66 at 18 months. While an admission by the Government that it got its plans wrong as the original plan would have seen some women’s SPA rise by two years, their changed plans are short shrift given the short notice hundreds of thousands of men and women have had for the increase in SPA.

    The Government’s amendment means that the 33,000 women who would have worked two years longer than they expected to receive their Basic State Pension will no longer have to do so. However there will still be many thousands of women who will work up to 18 months longer than they originally expected to receive their Basic State Pension. In making this change to women’s SPA the Government has broken the Coalition Agreement.

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  • Pensions & Investment

    Government to reinvigorate occupational pensions?

    13th September 2011 — Filed under: Pensions & Investment

    Helen Nadin Helen Nadin

    Steve Webb indicated last week that the Government is going to examine risk-sharing. Risk-sharing is the shorthand for the pensions landscape between defined benefit and defined contribution schemes, where risk can be shared between employers and members, or between members, and it can exist in a range of forms, many of which are already possible and in existence in the UK.

    He said

    “once we’ve gone from the DB extreme where the employer shoulders all the risk, to the DC extreme where it’s all borne by the member, hopefully we can push it back a little bit.”

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  • Pensions & Investment

    Employees see a further drop in their pensions

    2nd August 2011 — Filed under: Pensions & Investment

    Helen Nadin Helen Nadin

    Lane, Clark and Peacock’s 18th annual survey released today has some interesting – but dispiriting – findings on the pension schemes run for employees of FTSE 100 companies.

    Two key findings are the growing shift to defined contribution provision, and the change from RPI to CPI to uprate private sector schemes. The latter has resulted in a significant shift in the value of pension liabilities. The aggregate FTSE 100 pension deficit now stands at £19bn, down from £51bn on the previous year. But, as LCP recognises, this is at the expense of scheme members. If CPI were to average 0.75% per year less than RPI, a pensioner retiring at age 60 on 10,000 per year would see their benefit eroded by nearly 1,200 per year in today’s terms by the time they reach age 75.

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