The Government Actuary's Department (GAD) has published its December 2024 Mortality Insights bulletin, focusing on recent trends in UK life expectancy. The report highlights the ongoing increase in average life expectancy across the country and examines the growing emphasis on improving Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE).  The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the HLE for males born in England between 2021 and 2023 is 61.5 years. For females, it's slightly higher at 61.9 years. HLE in England was fairly stable from 2011 to 2019, but since the pre-pandemic period, it has decreased by 1.7 years for males and 1.9 years for females. GAD’s insights highlight that, healthy living will likely be a major topic of discussion when the State Pension Age increases to 67 in April 2026. The Health Foundation has reported that from early 2020 to late 2023, an extra 235,000 people aged 53 to 62 were out of work due to health issues. This is the demographic set to have a higher State Pension Age.

The Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) has published its review of the 2023 actuarial valuations of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in Scotland, as required under Section 13 of the Public Service Pensions Act 2013. The review found that all 12 constituent funds—covering approximately 600,000 scheme members—reported surpluses as of March 2023, with total assets amounting to £60bn and an aggregate funding level of 141%. This represents an improvement compared with 2020, when four funds were in deficit. The report also highlighted variations in the funds’ approaches to surplus management and recommended that additional guidance be provided to address intergenerational fairness considerations. GAD has advised Scottish Ministers, through the Scottish Public Pensions Agency, to continue engaging with stakeholders on consistency measures and to review climate risk analysis principles in advance of the 2026 valuations.

The Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) has used actuarial modelling to support the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in assessing options for regulating defined benefit superfunds to support the DWP’s response to ‘Consolidation of defined benefit schemes’. GAD modelled an example superfund as at 31 December 2022 to evaluate technical provision discount rates, profit triggers and investment strategies. The results indicated that a technical provision discount rate of gilts plus 0.75% and a profit trigger at 150% of the capital requirement for authorisation would most closely align with government’s superfund policy objectives at the effective date of the calculations. Under the modelling assumptions GAD found that this provided a balance between superfund commercial viability and reasonable cost of entry against a controlled risk to members’ benefits from superfund failure. The DWP used this analysis to inform its consultation response and develop an appropriate regulatory regime.

The Government's Actuary Department (GAD) has announced that it will shortly be updating the Factor Guidance Notes for the 26 public service pension schemes that administer the benefits. This follows the completion of its major review project into 500,000 actuarial factors across those pension schemes. To speed up the review, GAD used streamlined processes to calculate and check new factors, including automation to help reduce the risk of human error.

The Government Actuary's Department (GAD) has issued updated actuarial assumptions for broad comparability assessments of staff transfers between public service pension schemes under the Fair Deal policy. Effective from 1 June 2024, the new assumptions replace those announced in November 2023 and align with the long-term assumptions used for valuing public service pension liabilities. The update includes revised financial assumptions, short-term projections for 'McCloud remedy' cases, and cross-scheme demographic assumptions based on 2016 valuations. These changes apply to assessments conducted under both the 2013 and 2004 Fair Deal policies but do not affect existing certificates. The assumptions are not applicable to transfers involving private sector schemes unless specifically approved by GAD.

The Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA) has announced revised hourly rates for its Appeal Board. The fee has increased to £225 per hour for appeals lodged from 13 January 2026 onwards, while the hourly rate remains at £200 per hour for appeals lodged between 2 November 2023 and 12 January 2026.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has announced that multiple insurance firms have agreed to pause sales of guaranteed asset protection (GAP) insurance, following a request from the FCA. The regulator is concerned that the product is failing to provide fair value to some consumers. The firms which have agreed to this action account for 80% of the GAP market.

Growth at a reasonable price: a description of the approach some fund managers use to identify potential share purchases. A mixture of ‘growth’ and ‘value’ style.

Title Assimilated Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2012 concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products Entry into force 16 July 2012—see Regulation (EU) No 528/2012, art 97Application from 1 September 2013 Transposition Deadline N/A Amendments • Assimilated Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 736/2013 of 17 May 2013 amending Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the duration of the work programme for examination of existing biocidal active substances • Assimilated Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 837/2013 of 25 June 2013 amending Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the information requirements for authorisation of biocidal products • Assimilated Regulation (EU) No 334/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 amending Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products,

Title Assimilated Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species (the Assimilated IAS Regulation) Entry into Force 01/01/2015, art 33 Amendments Assimilated Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 on protective measures against pests of plants, amending Regulation (EU) No 228/2013, Regulation (EU) No 652/2014 and Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 and repealing Council Directives 69/464/EEC, 74/647/EEC, 93/85/EEC, 98/57/EC, 2000/29/EC, 2006/91/EC and 2007/33/EC Subject Invasive species Background The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 adopted in May 2011 announced a dedicated legislative instrument to tackle invasive alien species (IAS). The fifth target of the Strategy was that by 2020, ‘invasive alien species are identified, priority species controlled or eradicated, and pathways managed to prevent new invasive species from disrupting European biodiversity’. Action 16 of the Strategy was to ‘[p]rovide a legal framework to fight invasive alien species.’ The entry into force of the Regulation also fulfilled Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 under the Convention on Biological Diversity, to which the EU and

Title Assimilated Regulation (EC) 1013/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 on shipments of waste (GB Waste Shipments Regulation) Entry into force 15 July 2006 (art 64.1). As originally enacted, the Regulation applied from 12 July 2007 (art 64.1) Amendments Assimilated Regulation (EC) 1379/2007 of 26 November 2007. In force: 30 November 2007Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 669/2008 of 15 July 2008. In force: 19 July 2008Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 219/2009 of the European Parliament and Council of 11 March 2009. In force: 20 April 2009Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 308/2009 of 15 April 2009. In force: 19 April 2009Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and Council of 11 March 2009 of 23 April 2009. In force: 25 June 2009Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 413/2010 of 12 May 2010. In force: 16 May 2010Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 664/2011 of 11 July 2011.Assimilated Regulation (EU) No 135/2012 of 16 February 2012. In force: 8 March 2012Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 255/2013 of 20 March 2013. In force: 10 April 2013Assimilated

Background to the Great Britain Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation Trade in substances and mixtures is not only an issue relating to the market in Great Britain (GB), but also to the global market. Prior to the enactment of Regulation (EC) 1272/2008 (the EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (EU CLP Regulation)) in 2009, harmonised criteria for the classification and labelling had already been developed at a global level within the United Nations (UN) structure, resulting in the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), with a view to facilitating worldwide trade while protecting human health and the environment. The EU CLP Regulation entered into force on 20 January 2009 in the EU (then including the UK) and Recital 6 sets out the aim to contribute to the global harmonisation of criteria for classification and labelling through the incorporation of the internationally agreed GHS criteria. Classification under the EU CLP Regulation applies to substances placed on the market since 1 December 2010 and to mixtures from 1 June 2015. From 1 June 2015, the EU CLP