The Pensions Regulator to appoint High Court Enforcement officer
14 May 2018
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) issues fines to employers that fail to meet their automatic enrolment duties and can secure court orders if the debts are not paid. TPR is now going a step further and is to appoint High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs) to enforce court orders or their equivalents on employers who have failed, or refused to comply with, auto-enrolment duties in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
If an employer does not pay its fines, HCEOs will be able to visit the business premises to remove items to sell, up to the value of the amount owed, such as the employer’s vehicles.
TPR said that unlike bailiffs, HCEOs have the power to force entry into locked commercial premises to seize assets.
Darren Ryder, director of automatic enrolment at TPR, said: “Automatic enrolment is not an option, it’s the law. Those who break the law by denying their staff the pension they are entitled to should expect to be punished and must pay any fines they are given.
Auto-enrolment has been a huge success thanks to the vast majority of employers who do exactly what they should, but a tiny minority not only ignore their automatic enrolment duties but fail to pay their fines, even after the courts have ordered them to.”
Read the full article in Employee Benefits.