Also known as scheme specific funding, the SFO requires all defined benefit schemes (unless exempt) to hold sufficient assets to cover their technical provisions.

The Pensions Act 2004 funding regime The Pensions Act 2004 (PeA 2004) and the Occupational Pension Schemes (Scheme Funding) Regulations 2005, SI 2005/3377 (the Scheme Funding Regulations) introduced a new scheme-specific funding regime applying to defined benefit (DB) occupational pension schemes. This regime replaced the discredited Minimum Funding Requirement (MFR) and came into effect on 30 December 2005. It applies to actuarial valuations: • with an effective date on or after 22 September 2005, and • received by the trustees on or after 30 December 2005 A key part of the scheme-specific funding regime relates to the introduction of a statutory funding objective which applies to all DB schemes unless they are exempted by the Scheme Funding Regulations. In brief, the statutory funding objective requires all applicable DB schemes to have ‘sufficient and appropriate assets to cover its technical provisions’, ie the amount required on an actuarial calculation to fund the scheme's liabilities. With effect from 6 April 2024, the Pension Schemes Act 2021

A round-up of the latest statutory intervention news from the Department for Education (DfE), including a report from the Further Education (FE) Commissioner overseeing the intervention assessment at Weston College.

A round-up of the latest Statutory intervention news from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Including a new Finance Commissioner has been appointed at Thurrock Council and the second report from the Commissioners overseeing the statutory intervention at Birmingham City Council has been published.

A landlord’s right to forfeit a long residential lease for non-payment of rent, service charge or administrative charge, and for other breaches of covenant or condition, is limited by statute, under sections 166–169 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, and section 81 of the Housing Act 1996. This Practice Note sets out the circumstances in which a landlord can forfeit a long residential lease, and the procedure to follow prior to forfeiture including, where appropriate, an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) (or court or other tribunal as appropriate) for determination of the amount payable or the breach, and the potential consequences of wrongful forfeiture of a residential lease. Statute limits a landlord’s right to serve a s 146 notice or forfeit a residential lease for: • non-payment of service charge or administrative charge • (in the case of a long lease) non-payment of rent and other breaches of covenant ‘Long lease’ is defined under sections 76 and 77 of the Commonhold and Leasehold

The 2025-26 rates for statutory maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and sick pay have been published by the government.

In the context of the now revoked Cross-Border Mergers Regulations, a merger by absorption, a merger by absorption of a wholly-owned subsidiary or a merger by formation of a new company.

Section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996) provides for a statutory minimum period of notice that must be given to bring a contract of employment to an end, except where one of the parties is entitled to terminate without notice because of the conduct of the other party. As the right is in relation to a contract of employment only, the right to statutory minimum notice applies only in relation to employees (see Practice Note: Employee status) and apprentices (see Practice Note: Apprenticeships). The contract of employment can specify a longer period of notice but, where the contract provides for shorter notice than the statutory minimum, the contract is treated as giving the statutory entitlement. Who qualifies for statutory minimum notice Qualifying service required The right to statutory minimum notice depends upon a qualifying period of one month’s continuous employment, whether it is the employer or the employee who is giving notice. For employment of less than one month, the notice to be given is that expressly stated in the contract or implied ‘reasonable notice’—the

From April 2002, money purchase schemes (whether occupational pension schemes, stakeholder pension schemes or personal pension plans) must provide members with an annual statement setting out the value of their earned pension and displayed at today's value. They are annual statements issued to personal pension scheme members, giving forecasts of benefits now and at retirement (in today's terms).

Statutory nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 A wide range of conduct, (eg emission of smoke, fumes, dust etc), which was, in the past, subject to prosecution at common law for the offence of public nuisance, is now regulated by statute. The key statute is the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA 1990), in particular EPA 1990, Pt III and Sch 3 which relate to statutory nuisance. EPA 1990 provides a self-contained code, giving local authorities (eg district councils and London and other borough councils) and aggrieved individuals separate avenues of enforcement to abate and prevent statutory nuisances, as well as creating offences including for contravening or failing to comply with those enforcement measures. Local authority duties in respect of statutory nuisance The regime is operated mainly by local authorities, which are under a duty: • to inspect their areas from time to time for any statutory nuisances, and • where a complaint of a statutory nuisance is made to them by a person living in its area, to take

A nuisance is something which interferes with a person's right to use or enjoy their property and a statutory nuisance arises where such interference is prohibited by statute, or is such that it is prejudical to health.

The right to paid holiday is a statutory entitlement and may also be a contractual entitlement. This Practice Note looks at what pay a worker is entitled to when taking periods of statutory leave. The statutory calculation of pay is also relevant on termination of employment when calculating any payment made to a worker in lieu of paid annual leave entitlement accrued but not taken (see Practice Note: Statutory paid holiday—payment on termination). This Practice Note deals with the position of: • all workers for leave years beginning on or before 31 March 2024 • workers other than irregular hours and part-year workers for leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024 It does not deal with the position of irregular hours and part-year workers (as defined in WTR 1998, SI 1998/1833, reg 15F), for whom separate provisions apply in respect of holiday years beginning on or after 1 April 2024, including in relation to: • the calculation of holiday pay, and • the option to pay rolled-up holiday pay The position