Pensions Minister, Torsten Bell, has defended the news that The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has appointed an interim chair, arguing that this "simply reflects time constraints".

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently confirmed that Kirstin Baker had been appointed as interim chair of TPR effective from 1 August 2025, succeeding Sara Smart, who announced plans to step down from her role earlier this year.

Commenting on her appointment, Baker said: "I am delighted to take on this interim chair role while a competition is undertaken for the next full-term chair of The Pensions Regulator.

"I would like to thank Sarah Smart for all the work she has done as TPR chair and look forward to building on this."

Baker is currently the senior independent member of the TPR board, and has had a long career in the civil service, most recently as HM Treasury finance and commercial director.

In a letter to the Work and Pensions Committee (WPC) chair, Debbie Abrahams, Bell apologised that the committee was not given the appropriate amount of time to consider the letter and the related recruitment campaign.

He also said that he "understood" the disappointment with the need for an interim chair, arguing, however, that, in order to ensure that public appointment recruitment campaigns attract a high-quality and diverse pool of candidates, a well-planned campaign is "essential".

"The planning to recruit for a post of this nature, in a way which follows the governance code for public appointments, takes approximately two months before the launch of the
campaign," he stated.

"The campaign itself, including sifting, interviewing, ministerial approvals and all the post-selection checks, can then take several months."

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