The Society of Actuaries in Ireland has responded to a Pensions Board consultation on the future of defined contribution (DC) pensions. 
 
In the response, the Society calls on the Pensions Board to develop and articulate an over-arching vision for the future of DC pensions, rather than tackle individual issues on a piecemeal basis.  The Society also offers views on simplification of the regulatory framework, alternatives to the trustee model, investment matters, and engaging pension scheme members through effective communications.    

Attached below is the SAI Newsletter from October 2013,  Included in this edition are articles on:

• the conferring of Honorary Fellowship on Prof Patrick Honohan
• SAI Presidential Address
• ERM Conference
• SAI International Committee
• Question time
• Student section

Governor of the Central Bank, Professor Patrick Honohan has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland.

Dermot Corry, President of the Society of Actuaries, said that Professor Honohan’s “notable achievements which formed the basis for Council’s decision to confer him with Honorary Fellowship included his role as Governor of the Central Bank where he has taken a key role in stabilising our financial institutions and rebuilding our reputation for financial services regulation”.

The International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) today announced its plan to develop a risk based global insurance capital standard (ICS) by 2016. Full implementation will begin in 2019 after two years of testing and refinement with supervisors and internationally active insurance groups (IAIGs).

The Board of Supervisors of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), following an open selection process, has appointed the members of its Insurance & Reinsurance (IRSG) and Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Groups (OPSG).

Seamus Creedon  and  Philip Shier, members of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland,  were nominated by the Groupe Consultatif  and have been appointed as members of the  IRSG and the OPSG respectively.

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) published today the final Guidelines for the preparation of Solvency II. The Guidelines were finalized following the public consultation earlier this year, during which EIOPA received over 4000 comments.

Dermot Corry, President of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland, has called for reform of Pensions Structures in his Presidential Address on 19th September 2013.

Click here to read the full press release

The International Actuarial Association (IAA) has published a paper on Stress Testing and Scenario Analysis by the Insurance Regulation Committee.

The CMI has published CMI_2013, an updated version of the Mortality Projections Model.  It is accompanied by Working Paper 69, which illustrates the impact of incorporating the latest England and Wales population mortality dataset into the Model.

The Working Paper also summarises the responses to the recent consultation on the future of the Model and the CMI Library of Mortality Projections and outlines the Committee’s reaction and planned next steps.  An updated version of the User Guide has also been issued.

The International Actuarial Association Mortality Working Group (IAAMWG) has published its first report.

The IAAMWG is a group of volunteers who study mortality and monitor studies completed by other organisations worldwide, focusing on the impact on insurance products (including life, pension and living benefits) or on government or world organisation (such as WHO and the UN) sponsored programs.  Mortality experience studies of general populations, insured life and other population subsets are within in the scope of the MWG.