CIPD consultation response: Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment)

The NI Assembly Committee for Communities sought evidence to inform its position on the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Bill. This is a narrow piece of legislation that aims to give the Department for Communities the power to make regulations in order to make a number of changes to Automatic Enrolment.  

The provisions of the Bill would provide the Department with a power to make regulations to:

• Reduce the lower age limit at which eligible workers must be automatically enrolled into a pension scheme by their employers.  The policy intent is to use this power to make regulations to reduce the lower age limit from aged 22 to 18; and
• Reduce the lower qualifying earnings band or repeal the lower limit of the qualifying earnings band so that contributions are calculated from the first pound earned.

The CIPD supports both of these measures and provided an additional paper to the Committee following an oral evidence session by Charles Cotton, CIPD's Senior Reward Adviser.