The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has successfully prosecuted a former company director for withholding information legally required ito be produced in a TPR investigation. Lee Bartholomew, former company director of 1066 Target Sports Ltd, pleaded guilty under section 77(5) of the Pensions Act 2004 (PA 2004) to intentionally and without reasonable excuse suppressing documents he was required to produce under PEA 2004, s 72. He has been fined £7,500 and ordered to pay a further £7,500 in costs.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published an overview of the occupational direct contribution (DC) trust-based landscape in the UK in 2023. The report contains information on important changes which occurred since 2022, data on schemes and membership, as well as the key findings from the overview, including that the number of non-micro DC and hybrid schemes has decreased by 11%, that 84% of DC or hybrid scheme memberships are within a master trust. and that there has only been 1% in growth with regard to assets per member.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published its 2025 report on the occupational defined contribution (DC) landscape in the UK, highlighting a continued shift towards fewer, larger pension schemes and urging trustees, particularly of smaller schemes, to assess whether they provide value for savers and to consolidate where they do not.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published its 2026 analysis of funding levels and recovery plans in UK occupational defined benefit (DB) and hybrid pension schemes. The report covers tranche 19 schemes, with effective valuation dates from 22 September 2023 to 21 September 2024, and is based on 1,540 valuations received by TPR by June 2026. TPR’s analysis shows a significant improvement in funding levels and shorter recovery plans compared with tranche 16.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published its Annual Funding Statement (AFS) 2024 for trustees and sponsoring employers of occupational defined benefit (DB) pension schemes, setting out what TPR expects from schemes by grouping them into three categories depending on their funding level. TPR says its AFS is particularly relevant to schemes with valuation dates between 22 September 2023 and 21 September 2024.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published its defined benefit (DB) trust-based pension schemes research report based on findings from the 2024 survey which was prepared for TPR by OMB Research. The report summarises results from the 2024 survey of trust-based occupational DB pension schemes. The survey, conducted by OMB Research, examined various aspects including long-term planning, discretionary benefits, investments in UK assets, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations, TPR’s General Code of Practice, pension scams, and pensions dashboards. The 2024 survey highlights ongoing challenges and developments in the DB pension sector, with particular focus on long-term planning, investment strategies, regulatory compliance, and emerging risks such as pension scams and ESG factors.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published its latest Defined Contribution (DC) survey, assessing how pension schemes are preparing for the proposed guided retirement duty under the Pension Schemes Bill. This duty would require trustees to offer default retirement products tailored to members’ needs, facilitating a more structured transition into retirement. TPR’s survey is based on 200 interviews with scheme representatives undertaken between March and May 2025. The survey indicates that master trusts are currently more advanced in their preparations, with all surveyed offering decumulation options and collectively supporting an estimated 27m members in making retirement decisions. In comparison, smaller schemes appear less prepared, with nearly one-third providing only statutory communications and no additional support.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published a 'Market Oversight: ESG report' reviewing how pension scheme trustees are complying with their wider environmental, social and governance (ESG) duties. Key findings include that while most trustees meet their ESG duties, many are only achieving minimum compliance, and that (1) trustees often failed to demonstrate ownership of their policies or key activities in respect of ESG, (2) where trustees delegated activities to managers, trustees often failed to explain or demonstrate oversight of ESG activities, and (3) where schemes are invested in pooled funds, a number of trustees highlighted they had limited ability to influence underlying managers on decisions related to ESG. Recommendations for trustees include that they take ownership of ESG activities as it is not enough for trustees to report that they have delegated these matters to asset managers, and trustees of schemes invested in pooled funds review fund manager policies on ESG-related issues.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published an overview of the value for money (VFM) framework for trust-based defined contribution (DC) pension schemes under the Pension Schemes Act 2026, together with a technical overview of its supporting digital service, providing practical information on the latest proposals and how schemes can start preparing to comply.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published analysis of decumulation products within defined contribution (DC) occupational pension schemes to update stakeholders on the current availability and use of retirement options. The publication outlines the products offered by schemes, the extent of member access, and the value of assets being drawn down ahead of the introduction of the guided retirement duty under the Pension Schemes Bill. The analysis is based on the 2025 DC scheme return covering 420 non-micro schemes with approximately 31 million members.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has released its annual report on the funding levels and recovery plans for occupational defined benefit (DB) and hybrid pension schemes in the UK. TPR found that there were continuous improvements in funding levels and reduced recovery plan durations across different scheme sizes. The report is based on the analysis of valuations submitted to TPR by DB and hybrid pension schemes and the publication is produced in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority Code for official statistics which came into force in January 2009.

The Pensions Regulator's (TPR) has published its annual report and accounts for 2023/24. Key enforcement and automatic enrolment (AE) findings include a rise in AE fines issued for non-compliance, from 50,210 fines in 2022/23 to 53,265 in 2023/34; 70% of scheme memberships covered by relationship supervision; a quarter of schemes targeted for intervention; and 11 million eligible jobholders automatically enrolled in pension schemes, up from 10.9 million in 2022/23. The report also highlights that TPR achieved 15 of its 20 KPI targets for 2023/24, with three amber and two red results. The two red results relate to its plans to implement the new elements of the Pension Schemes Act 2021 and track benefits realisation, as well as its plans to achieve high employee engagement.