The Surrey Local Firefighters' Pension Board met to discuss updates on pension scheme management, compliance with pension regulations, and preparations for the pensions dashboard. The board reviewed the action and recommendation tracker, the Pension Regulator's code of compliance, and the risk register. They also discussed the McCloud remedy¹ and the Matthews case², and received an update on the pensions dashboard connection readiness.

McCloud Remedy and Annual Benefit Statements

A key focus of the meeting was the McCloud age discrimination remedy, which aims to address inequalities in pension benefits for firefighters related to their age. The board discussed the issuance of Remediable Service Statements (RSS) to affected members, with Danielle Lamaignere, Scheme Manager, reporting that just over 95% of immediate choice members have now received their RSS.

However, delays in providing year-end data to XPS, the scheme's pensions administrator, have affected the timely delivery of statements to all members. Danielle Lamaignere confirmed that the breach had been reported to the Pensions Regulator.

Graham Hall from XPS indicated that a timeline for publishing the statements would be available within two weeks. He also explained the complexities of producing the statements, including the need to roll back data to 2015 in some cases.

The board discussed the possibility of extending the 31 March 2025 deadline for providing RSSs, as permitted under the Public Service Pensions & Judicial Offices Act 2022, but emphasised that this flexibility should only be applied in exceptional circumstances.

Janine May, Senior Pensions Advisor, highlighted that for members affected by both the Matthews and McCloud remedies, the Matthews election needs to take place before the McCloud remedy can be applied, which may cause further delays.

Contingent Decisions

The board also received an update on contingent decisions, which are decisions members may have made differently had it not been for the discrimination. These include opting out of the scheme or not paying voluntary contributions.

Administrators are awaiting guidance from the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) on calculating contributions and interest for periods of opted-out service. There is also an ongoing legal query regarding members of the 1992 scheme who opted out before or during the remedy period.

Matthews Case

The Matthews case, concerning pension benefits for retained firefighters, was another significant topic of discussion. Danielle Lamaignere reported that the project continues to make good progress, with the first group of special pensioner members now having received payments.

Of the 218 individuals identified as being in scope for the project, the pensions team has received positive responses from 112 individuals. ITM were appointed to undertake a member tracing exercise on behalf of the pensions team. To date, ITM has successfully traced just over 90% of the individuals identified as within the scope of the exercise.

Amendments to the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (England) 2006

The board discussed proposed amendments to the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (England) 2006, which include providing options for members who opted out before April 2015, extending eligibility for additional death grants, and providing more flexibility for members to convert standard service to special service. The consultation also proposed an extension to the implementation deadline to facilitate the additional requirements. The pensions team prepared an informed response to the Home Office, and this has been published on the SFRS Pensions Information SharePoint site. A formal response is awaited from the Home Office with regards to further legislation being laid to implement the proposed amendments.

Pensions Dashboards

The board received a presentation on the Surrey Fire Dashboards Connection Readiness Report from Graham Hall. The government is introducing pensions dashboards in 2025 to provide clear information about individuals' pension savings across multiple pots, including the State Pension. Public sector pension schemes are expected to connect to the dashboards in October 2025 with an anticipated ‘live’ date of October 2026.

Key findings of the report are as follows:

• Data Accuracy: 81.75% of data items used for matching pension records are present and accurate, and 100.00% of membership and employer data required for a positive match is present.
• Matching Policy: 90.16% of members will make an exact match with their scheme data, 4.24% of members will not make an exact match, and 5.60% of members might make an exact match.

The report suggests conducting a member tracing exercise to improve the accuracy of contact information and verify personal details.

Graham Hall also informed the board of a potential delay to the initial connection to the dashboard due to an intention to move software systems, with a new system expected to be in place by 1 January 2026.

The Pensions Regulator’s (TPR) General Code of Practice Compliance Checklist

The board reviewed the Pensions Regulator’s (TPR) General Code of Practice Compliance Checklist. The Scheme Manager highlighted that the complaints procedure did not comply with the Pensions Regulator’s General Code of Practice and was marked amber. An updated Internal Dispute Resolution Policy (IDRP) would be proposed.

Scheme Management Update Report

The board reviewed the Scheme Management Update Report. The report provided an update on scheme management activities, including the McCloud remedy, Annual Benefit Statements, contingent decisions, the 10% pensionable allowance, Matthews cases, amendments to the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme (England) 2006, and the Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) Rectification.

Fire Bulletins

The board reviewed the fire bulletins. The board considered that much of the fire bulletins’ content had been covered throughout the meeting.

Risk Registers

The board considered the risk registers. The Scheme Manager noted there would be a reduction in risk 5 as a result of filling the team vacancy and a programme of training planned. Two new risks had been identified: 9E. The costs of implementing the modified scheme were unknown and 11a. In recognition of statement issue.

Vote of Thanks: Nick Harrison

The board took the opportunity to thank Nick Harrison for his contribution to the Local Firefighters’ Pension Board, who has stood down as a County Councillor.