B&CE to host 'question time' event at Liberal Democrat and Conservative Party Conferences - Pension Reform. is there still a consensus?

The fringe event will take place on Sunday 19 September from 20.00-21:15 at Suite 6, Jury’s Inn Liverpool for the Liberal Democrat party conference and Tuesday 5 October from 19.30-20.30 in the Jury’s Inn Birmingham for the Conservative party conference.

These events will be looking at the whether the consensus on pension policy formed prior to the recession is still relevant today. Pension reform has soldiered on, despite the dramatic changes to the financial system, the labour market and private sector employers.

However, numerous issues remain to be addressed, such as whether the labour market can adapt to an increased state pension age, and whether some employers will respond to so-called ‘Personal Accounts' by levelling down their pension contributions.

In particular the event will be looking at making auto-enrolment a success through simplification and the implications around increasing the State Retirement Age, particularly how it will affect the low to moderate earners within the construction industry.

John Jory comments: “This will be our ninth year hosting an event such as this at the party conferences and we are delighted to have the current Pensions Minister joining us at the Liberal Democrat event. With the auto enrolment review panel due to report at the end of September, it should be a particularly topical debate.”

Attendees to the events will be given the opportunity to address questions to the panel when the debate is thrown open to the floor. 

Speakers at the Liberal Democrat event includes:

• Steve Webb MP, Minister of State for Pensions;
• John Jory, Director, B&CE Insurance Limited;
• Chris Curry, Research Director at the Pensions Policy Institute;
• David Rowley, Editor of Pensions Weekly

Chair: James Lloyd, Senior Research Fellow, Social Market Foundation

And at the Conservative event:

• Harriett Baldwin MP
• Niki Cleal, Director, the Pension Policy Institute
• Stephanie Hawthorne, Editor of Pensions World
• John Jory, Director of B&CE Insurance Limited

Chair: James Lloyd, Senior Research Fellow, Social Market Foundation

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