Changes to age discrimination legislation for pension schemes

United Kingdom

In response to feedback on the impact of the proposed age discrimination legislation on occupational pension schemes, a set of amending regulations has today been laid before Parliament.

The aim of the amending regulations is to clarify the legislation and extend the scope of the exemptions available to pension schemes. To view a copy of the regulations please click here.

The regulations are in a different form to the draft regulations that were issued in October 2006, and do not provide for the transitional implementation period that was hoped for. The impact of the regulations will need to be considered quickly, as the age discrimination legislation will apply to pension schemes from 1 December 2006, (although we understand that the possibility of a transitional period is still under review by the DWP).