Policy News Journal - 2013-14

The Pensions Regulator launches automatic enrolment business sector compliance visits

21 November 2013

The Pensions Regulator has carried out the first in a series of in depth fact finding visits to business sectors that may face automatic enrolment compliance challenges.

The move marks the launch of a proactive drive towards different sectors and demonstrates how the regulator will use direct intervention to ensure employers comply with their statutory duties and help establish a pro compliance culture. The regulator’s automatic enrolment compliance and enforcement team visited a number of recruitment employers where they were able to have an in-depth look at how these employers are implementing automatic enrolment. The recruitment sector was identified through our intelligence work in line with the compliance and enforcement proportionality framework which is part of the automatic enrolment compliance and enforcement policy. The recruitment sector faces significant compliance challenges and was particularly important to target because more than 1,000 recruitment employers are due to reach their staging date between April and July next year. The staging date is when an employer’s automatic enrolment duties are switched on. The visits were made to prevent and tackle possible breaches, ensure compliance, learn lessons and share good practice among the industry. The regulator wants to reduce the likelihood of enforcement action by identifying and, where possible addressing problems early. As a result of information gathered from the visits, the regulator will be issuing compliance guidance tailored for the recruitment sector. View the compliance and enforcement policy in strategy and policy .