EPN355 - Employee contributions: mailing to all scheme members and the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) approval process.

Date posted: 02/03/2013

Audience

This Notice will be of particular interest to:

• HR Managers

Action

• To note the timings of the mailing exercise
• To note the CSCS approval process

Timing

Immediate

1. Mailing to all scheme members
   As advised in EPN 351, Cabinet Office has put in place the arrangements to inform all active members of the civil service pension scheme about the changes to their contributions from 1 April 2013.
2. A letter will be sent to all active scheme members. MyCSP (St Ives) are undertaking this exercise. Due to the high volume of letters that need to be produced, St Ives will print and dispatch letters via second class post on a rolling programme starting from 27th March. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to tell individual employers exactly when letters will be dispatched to their staff.
3. The letters will, in the majority of cases, be sent to the individual’s last known postal address by second class post.
4. As this is the second year of increases, we do not anticipate a larger increase in staff queries than last year. In preparation for the expected increase in call volumes arising from these letters being sent, MyCSP is setting up a dedicated phone line that staff can call, as set out in the letter.
5. Communications materials on these increases to employee pension contributions, including a calculator, can be found on the civil service website.
6. Civil Service Compensation Scheme Approval (CSCS)
   You may be aware of recent press coverage concerning a Public Accounts Committee investigation into unauthorised senior severance payments at an employer. The payments
   were subsequently investigated by the Treasury Solicitor’s office. The accounts of the employer were qualified by the National Audit Office on the basis of the employer being unable to provide evidence that payments to staff had the necessary approvals.
7. Can I use this as an opportunity to remind you that, as set out in Cabinet Office Spending Controls guidance, the PCSPS Employer Pension Guide and ongoing Employer Pensions
   Notices, all exit/redundancy schemes must have approval from Cabinet Office before payments are made. This applies irrespective of the size of the scheme, including those
   for single individuals, and the seniority of the staff involved. All applications should be sent to redundancyschemes@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk. Should you have any questions about
   this process, the appropriate guidance can be found at Annex 6c of the Employer Pension Guide. hould you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact Sally Rowles on 0207 271 6374.

Reference

EPN 298, 315, 351, 347, 344.

Contacts

Enquiries regarding content please refer to Scheme Management Executive SMEemployers@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk

You can find electronic copies of the Employers’ Pension Guide, all current EPNs and forms on our website.

Enquiries regarding distribution or to receive in a different format
Mycsp.basingstoke@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

This notice is for employers and should not be issued to scheme members.

If members have any queries about their scheme, you should direct them to the Civil Service Pensions website or to your Pension Service Centre for information.