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The UK government needs to prove that underfunded public sector schemes are unviable, Christine Haswell, Pensions Officer at the PCS Union told PLANSPONSOR Europe.Speaking at the Methodist Centrall Hall—the site of a rally in support of Thursday's public sector pension protest—Haswell said that a previous agreement which unions had reached moving underfunded schemes to being worked out on career averages had made those schemes viable.She added that no scheme valuation has taken place since 2007 which could have formed the basis of talks on reform.

Investment companies acting on behalf of pension funds need to encourage responsible behaviour to secure both “morally preferable” and safer investments, former Labour MP and Chair of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Board Clare Short told PLANSPONSOR Europe. Short was speaking at the launch of Standard Life Investment’s report On Business & Human Rights, which revealed there is much work still to be done in this area. 

The UK pensions industry needs to establish its own voluntary code of conduct to ensure better transparency on pension charges to rebuild trust with the consumer, Brandon Lewis, Work and Pensions Select Committee Member told PLANSPONSOR Europe.Speaking at the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) London offices, Lewis said the UK government would like to see the code established by the end of 2012.

Investors need to gradually get ready for a return of confidence due to a commitment to tighter governance from EU leaders, according to William De Vijlder, CIO, Strategy and Partners at BNP Paribas Investment Partners.De Vijlder spoke to PLANSPONSOR Europe following the EU leaders’ agreement on short term action to tackle the Eurozone debt crisis and a new fiscal compact for the area.