Summary and Background Non-State Pensions Measures Current position
87.Section 286 of the PA2004 requires the Secretary of State to make regulations setting up the financial assistance scheme (“FAS”). The FAS was announced on 14 May 2004 to assist those who had lost or who stood to lose significant amounts as a result of their pension scheme winding up underfunded with an insolvent employer. Regulations setting out the details of the FAS were made in July 2005 and the majority of those regulations came into force on 1 September 2005. Under those regulations and subsequent amendments, schemes must have started to wind-up between 1 January 1997 and 5 April 2005 and must meet certain other qualifying criteria in order for their members to qualify for assistance.
88.At present, members of qualifying schemes who were within 15 years of their normal retirement age on or before 14 May 2004 may qualify for assistance payments, which are tapered depending on proximity of the member to normal retirement age. Qualifying members are generally entitled to payments at age 65 (though early access to payments is possible for the terminally ill). Eligible survivors of qualifying members who have died may also qualify for payments (at a lower level) regardless of their age. FAS payments top up any pensions being paid by the scheme during its winding-up or at the end of the winding up (taking account of the amount of assets allocated to members) to a specified proportion of members' “expected pensions”, as that term is defined in the July 2005 regulations (commonly referred to as members’ “expected core pensions”). Payments are subject to a cap (currently £12,000 a year) and are currently subject to a de minimis amount (of £520 a year). In general, payments made whilst pension schemes are winding-up (“initial payments”) are paid at a lower rate than final payments (“annual payments”), at up to 60% of expected core pensions.