Pension schemes that have failed to provide sufficient chair’s statements have been publicly named for the first time by The Pensions Regulator.

According to lists published today, 15 February 2018, six pension schemes whose trustees have been fined for providing non-compliant chair’s statements include: Ethika Auto Enrolment Pension Scheme (between 1 October and 30 December 2017) and My Workplace Pension Scheme, The United Members Pension Trust, The Dunnes Stores Ltd Management Pension Scheme, Vedius Pension Trust and The Nurture Master Trust (until 30 September 2017). The professional trustees of these schemes have also been named.

TPR has also highlighted businesses found to be wilfully non-compliant to their auto-enrolment duties and 29 employers it has taken to court in the quarter for failing to pay escalating penalty notices awarded because they failed to meet their workplace pension duties.

The fines awarded for EPN’s total at more than £240,000. Of these, Borders Hotel Ltd were fined £52,500 and Southwest Event Security Ltd had to pay £35,000.

In the last quarter of 2017, 4,197 more compliance notices were issued to employers for not meeting auto-enrolment duties compared to the previous quarter. In addition, 1,956 more fixed penalty notices issued in the last three months to employers for failing to comply with a statutory notice or a specific duty, compared to the last quarter and a total of 28,446 cases of enforcement powers were being used in automatic enrolment between October and December 2017.

TPR updates these lists every three months as part of its quarterly compliance and enforcement bulletin.

TPR executive director of frontline regulation Nicola Parish said: “What some trustees put together as a chair’s statement is disappointing. These statements are important documents and should demonstrate to scheme members that the trustees are doing a good job and savers’ money is being well looked after.

“This is not just a tick box exercise. The chair’s statement should make declarations about key aspects of governance, from making sure a scheme’s costs and charges represent good value for money to assessing the skills and knowledge of trustees. A statement with little explanation offers no comfort to pension savers that their money is safe.

“We offer a quick guide for trustees about how to complete a chair’s statement (PDF, 67kb, 12 pages) to guide them through the process, so there is really no excuse. Schemes that don’t meet the requirements will not only get a fine, but will now be named on our website too.”

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