The Society of Actuaries in Ireland has issued a press release expressing concern about the delay to the reform of pensions legislation following publication of the Social Welfare and Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 yesterday. The Bill does not address major reforms required to pensions legislation for defined benefit schemes.
 

The Science Gallery in Dublin has been transformed into a virtual casino for its latest show, Risk Lab. Visitors can expect to learn more about their perception of risk and the psychology and maths behind games such as roulette and poker. The goal is to help give people a deeper understanding of risk-taking in every aspect of their lives.

The exhibition opened on the  2nd May, and the free show is set to run until 23rd June at the Science Gallery on Pearse Street.

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has published its Survey of EU practice on default investment options.

The survey was conducted as a follow up to EIOPA advice to the European Commission on the review of the IORP Directive, which stated that:

The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton T.D., has announced a number of changes to strengthen governance and regulation of the country’s occupational pensions and give consumers greater input into pensions policy.

The OECD has published its Review of the Irish Pension System.

The report provides an international perspective on Ireland’s retirement income provision, the result of a request from the Minister for Social Protection for a focused review on the viability and long-term impact of proposed changes in pension policy, taking into account the impact of the economic downturn. It covers all components of the pension system: state, private personal and occupational plans and schemes for public-sector employees.

Four significant objectives are examined:

The April 2013 issue of the IAA Newsletter is now available here https://web.actuaries.ie/press/iaa.

It features the following sections;

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has published the preliminary results of the quantitative impact study (QIS) on Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision (IORPs) conducted by EIOPA in October – December 2012.

The purpose of this QIS is to assess the impact of the different options included in EIOPA’s advice on valuation and security mechanisms for the financial requirements for IORPs. The QIS is part of the process to advise the European Commission on the review of the IORP Directive.

The April 2013 issue of the SAI Newsletter is the first of the new year and is in a slightly different format than previous issues.  Rather than filling the newsletter with long reviews of evening meetings, the newsletter team is experimenting with having much shorter summaries. 

This approach means that we will need to draw on other content for the newsletter.  The newsletter team would appreciate receiving submissions and ideas from members for future editions. 

The April Issue of The European Actuary is now available here.

It features the following articles;
 
•    EIOPA calls for transparency to protect consumers.
•    The thorny issue of annuities
•    Mortgages: interesting asset class for pension funds?
•    Social Responsibility
•    Unintended Future Risk
•    What can actuaries add to the debate on environmental issues?

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has launched a public consultation on Guidelines on preparing for Solvency II.