The government has announced the appointment of the new Pensions Ombudsman as Anthony Arter.

A pre-appointment hearing with the Department for Work and Pensions was held on 11 February to see if the department’s preferred candidate, Arter, met the standards of the Work and Pensions Committee.

The purpose of the hearing was to assess the candidate’s suitability for the role, including his independence and expertise, and his ability to withstand public and parliamentary scrutiny.

The Chair of the Committee Dame Anne Begg MP said millions more people will be enrolled into workplace pensions as a result of automatic enrolment and they will have more options about how they use their pension savings as a result of the new pension freedoms. In light of this they will be publishing a detailed report on these issues in March.

“It is important that the public has confidence in pensions, as retirement saving grows. A key element in building confidence is having a robust and proactive Ombudsman in post. We are very pleased that Anthony Arter has been appointed to this post and wish him well in carrying out his duties,” she added.

Pensions Age reported on the 5 February the government were holding a hearing to recruit the new pensions ombudsman.

Tony King, the current Ombudsman, will stand down from his post in late spring 2015 and Jane Irvine’s second term as Deputy Ombudsman ends next autumn.

Both post holders have agreed to be flexible about their departure dates to ensure a smooth transition for their successors, who will also act as the PPF Ombudsman and Deputy PPF Ombudsman.

Speaking about his departure, King said he had "hugely enjoyed" his eight years as the ombudsman.

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