Section 142W: Pension liabilities, Financial Services and Markets Act 2000

The Treasury may by regulations require a ring-fenced body to make arrangements for any one or more of the following purposes—

ensuring that, except in prescribed cases, the ring-fenced body cannot become liable to meet, or contribute to the meeting of, pension liabilities which arise in connection with persons' service on or after a date specified in the regulations ("the specified date") in any employment, other than service in an employment in respect of which the employer is a ring-fenced body;

ensuring that, except in prescribed cases, the default of a person other than another ring-fenced body would not result in the ring-fenced body becoming liable to meet, or contribute to the meeting of, pension liabilities arising in connection with persons' service in any employment before the specified date;

to the extent that it is not possible to ensure the result mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b), minimising any potential liability falling within paragraph (a) or (b).

The regulations may make provision enabling the trustees or managers of a relevant pension scheme in respect of which the employer or one of the employers is a ring-fenced body—

to transfer to another relevant pension scheme all or part of the pension liabilities arising in connection with persons' service before the specified date together with all or part of the assets of the scheme, or

to divide the scheme into two or more sections in relation to which prescribed conditions are met.

The regulations may make provision—

enabling a ring-fenced body to apply to the court in a case where the ring-fenced body has been unable to reach agreement with another person ("P") about the making of arrangements with P on commercial terms for one or more of the purposes in subsection (1), and

enabling the court on such an application to order P to enter into arrangements with the ring-fenced body for those purposes on such terms as the court considers fair and reasonable in the circumstances.

The regulations must provide that any terms specified by the court by virtue of provision made under subsection (3)—

must be terms which, in the court's opinion, represent terms on which the arrangements might be entered into if they were being entered into for commercial reasons between willing parties dealing at arm's length, and

may involve the payment of any sum by instalments.

The regulations may make other provision—

about the making by a ring-fenced body of arrangements for one or more of the purposes in subsection (1);

about any transfer or division falling within subsection (2).

The regulations may in particular—

require a ring-fenced body to cease to participate in a relevant pension scheme unless the scheme is divided into two or more sections in relation to which prescribed conditions are met;

provide that assets or liabilities of a relevant pension scheme may not be transferred under the arrangements to another occupational pension scheme unless the other scheme meets prescribed conditions;

require ring-fenced bodies to establish new occupational pension schemes in prescribed circumstances;

provide that any provision of a relevant pension scheme that might prevent the making of the arrangements, other than a provision requiring the consent of the trustees or managers of the scheme, is not to have effect in prescribed circumstances;

make provision enabling the trustees or managers of a relevant pension scheme, with the consent of the employers in relation to the scheme, to modify the scheme by resolution for the purpose of enabling the arrangements to be made;

require the trustees or managers of a relevant pension scheme or any employer in relation to a relevant pension scheme to give notice of prescribed matters to prescribed persons;

make provision enabling the court, on an application made in accordance with the regulations by a ring-fenced body, if it appears to the court that the trustees or managers of a relevant pension scheme, or an employer in relation to such a scheme, have unreasonably refused their consent to any step that would enable the arrangements to be made, to order that the step may be taken without that consent;

confer exemption from any provision of the regulations in prescribed cases;

confer functions on the PRA;

provide that a ring-fenced body which contravenes a prescribed requirement of the regulations is to be taken to have contravened a requirement imposed by the PRA under this Act;

modify, exclude or apply (with or without modification) any primary or subordinate legislation.

The Treasury may by regulations require an authorised person who will or may be a ring-fenced body or an authorised person who will or may be a member of a ring-fenced body's group to do all it can to obtain from the Pensions Regulator a clearance statement in relation to any arrangements to be made for the purpose of complying with—

regulations under this section, or

any provision made by or under this Part (other than this section) when the provision comes into force.

A "clearance statement" is a statement issued by the Pensions Regulator under any of the following provisions—

section 42 of the Pensions Act 2004 (clearance statements relating to contribution notice under section 38);

section 46 of that Act (clearance statements relating to financial support directions);

Article 38 of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (clearance statements relating to contribution notices under article 34);

Article 42 of that Order (clearance statements relating to financial support directions).

In relation to a ring-fenced body that is not a PRA-authorised person, references in subsection (6) to the PRA are to be read as references to the FCA.

Regulations under this section may not require ring-fenced bodies to achieve the results mentioned in subsection (1) before 1 January 2026, but this does not prevent the regulations requiring steps to be taken at any time after the regulations come into force.

Section 142W: Pension liabilities

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