Workplace Pension Reform (Automatic Enrolment)

Tuesday 19th July 2011 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Steve Webb)]

I am pleased to be able to publish later today the Government’s consultation document “Workplace Pension Reform—Completing the Legislative Framework for Automatic Enrolment”, and to announce that today marks the beginning of a period of formal consultation on draft regulations relating to automatic enrolment into workplace pension schemes. The consultation period will run for 12 weeks, ending on 11 October.

This consultation addresses the remaining legislative changes needed to put in place the Government’s workplace pensions reforms, which are due to begin in 2012. The “Making Automatic Enrolment Work” review, which took place last year, recommended changes to the proposed requirements in order to make it easier for employers and employees to understand and operate the new automatic enrolment requirement. These changes, together with some minor technical amendments, are set out in the draft regulations published alongside the consultation document.

I would like to thank all those people and organisations who have offered their views and advice in response to our recent informal consultation, and hope that they will continue to do so now that consultation has moved on to a formal footing.

The consultation document will be available later today on the Department’s website at:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2011/workplace-pension-reform-2011.shtml