Pension Protection Fund · CAS-47078-B6B2

CAS-47078-B6B2

Ombudsman’s Determination Applicant Mr D

Scheme Pension Protection Fund (PPF)

Respondent The Board of the Pension Protection Fund (the Board)

Outcome

Complaint summary

Background information, including submissions from the parties and timeline of events The sequence of events is not in dispute, so I have only set out the salient points. I acknowledge there were other exchanges of information between all the parties.

 The Board had a legal obligation to issue paper payslips.

1 CAS-47078-B6B2  He did not wish to register on the PPF’s website for security reasons, and he did not want to telephone the PPF each month to request a paper payslip.

 The Board should have put its proposal to a vote involving those in receipt of payments, before making the change.

 The Board was under no legal obligation to provide paper payslips.

 The information that Mr D required was available on the PPF’s website which had the necessary security measures in place. This information was available much earlier than it would have had it been issued by post.

 The change would save on costs and paper usage.

 Paper payslips could be requested each month by telephone, email or letter. Such requests would be actioned when the request was received, rather than within the Board’s usual 10-day service level agreement.

Adjudicator’s Opinion

 Schedule 1 of the Pension Protection Fund (Provision of Information) Regulations 2005 (the Regulations), sets out the information that the Board is required to provide to members.

 The Adjudicator took the view that there was no requirement in the Regulations or any other legislation for the Board to provide payslips. The only requirement was that it notify members when an annual payment increase was granted. In the Adjudicator’s opinion, the Board’s decision not to automatically issue paper payslips was a decision that it was entitled to make and did not amount to maladministration on its part.

 The Adjudicator noted that the Board was willing to issue a paper payslip to Mr D should he make a request by telephone, email or letter each month. So, he was still able to access his payslips should he not wish to use the PPF’s website.

2 CAS-47078-B6B2  The Board should issue payslips in accordance with HMRC regulations.

 The BT Group (BT) sends him a paper payslip if the amount of his net pension payment varies by more than £1 when compared to the previous month’s payment.

 The Board made the change despite the fact that less than 50% of those in receipt of payments had registered on the PPF’s website. It should have consulted with them in advance.

 The responses to his complaint were not provided within the timescales that had been agreed.

Ombudsman’s decision

3 CAS-47078-B6B2

I do not uphold Mr D’s complaint.

Anthony Arter Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman

21 October 2021

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