Targeted Review of Defined Benefit Pensions and Financial Resilience

Description

The targeted review will consider: • How do pension scheme deficits as calculated under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) compare to actuarial deficits calculated under a triennial actuarial valuation in absolute terms and variability? • Have companies used customer funding to the extent provided for at PR09 (and reaffirmed at PR14) to meet deficit repair costs since 2010? • What range of actions have companies taken to manage their exposures to pension liabilities, how effective have these measures been in managing risks and what else could companies have done? • How does the management of the pension deficit in the water sector compare with best practice approaches in other sectors? • What evidence is there that pension schemes have or are moving to CPI or CPIH as the inflation linkage? • Pension costs impact on financial resilience as they reduce the free cash available to meet a company's statutory obligations. A short repair period increases the pressure on free cash while a long period may result in action by the Pension Regulator. Does the essential service provided by water companies and economic regulation underpin the water sector's covenant for pension obligations and strengthen pension scheme resilience? • Rating agencies consider deficits when assessing credit ratings and effectively treat deficits as debt. How should deficits be considered when assessing a company's financial resilience? • Hypothetically, how would pension liabilities be considered under a special administration pursuant to the Water Industry Act 1991 (as amended)? • We would welcome additional comments from the contractors on areas to consider not covered by the above. Scope The scope of this work includes assessing published information on all 17 English and Welsh water and waste water companies' pension schemes and preparing an information request for all companies. Following this review selecting a number of companies which display a variety of actions in managing pension liabilities for further engagement and lead tele-conferences with the selected companies. The number of companies will not exceed 5. To consider and report on the specific questions set out in this ITT, relating to company behaviours and actions associated with pension deficits which have since 2009 been funded in part by customers.

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