What lobbying is the NAPF doing on the investment side?
In the last year we have flagged with the DMO the increased interest in CPI-linked gilts amongst UK pension schemes. Currently inflation-linked bonds are linked to RPI not CPI. A significant number of pension schemes have now switched to CPIlinked liabilities, but there are no CPI-linked bonds to match this liability. We have been talking to the DMO regarding the interest that we’ve seen in CPI-linked gilts. Its response currently is that the door is open to issuing CPI-linked gilts, but it is not going to issue them in this financial year. Regarding European regulation, we’ve been lobbying the UK Treasury and European Parliament on our opposition to the financial transaction tax (FTT). We see the FTT as a tax on pensions and detrimental to the pension industry. We’re also pursuing issues regarding OTC clearing and the extra costs involved this would entail.
Is the NAPF still pushing for long-dated gilt issuance?
Yes, long-dated gilts are what pension schemes require because of their long-dated liabilities. The DMO has been receptive to pension scheme demand for long term assets and recently issued a conventional 2068 and an inflation-linked 2068 gilt. Its effort to match demand with supply has been rewarded by strong investor demand for both these long-dated gilts.
What is your view on the proposed Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) merger?
Local authority pension funds have never been under more pressure. Many are already finding efficiencies and maximising value for money but it is right to ask if they can do more. We look forward to contributing to how this might be achieved in the future. The NAPF has spoken about consolidation of funds and pushed master trusts as a concept to improve on economies of scale. Our overall view is that economies of scale are important as they provide greater bargaining power and can lead to improved governance, which in turn can lead to better investment returns for pension schemes.
What did you take from your recent Default Fund Design and Governance in DC Pensions report? Did it throw up anything which surprised you?
A number of key messages came out of our work. The first is that it probably takes more than two years to design a good default fund. Once in place, governance and monitoring of the funds is important and enough time needs to be allocated to that. Pivotal to designing a default fund is really understanding what members need. One member setting up a default fund recommended spending, “less time hiring and firing fund managers, more time should be spent on members’ needs”. The other important aspect of setting up a default fund is to create a drawdown option for members so that it suits their needs in retirement. Finally there was general agreement that illiquid assets do play a part in DC investing and that daily liquidity is not essential.
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