The Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF) has requested an ‘urgent meeting’ with the Department for Social Protection (DSP), in response to a letter it sent the association on plans to bring in minimum standards for occupational pension schemes.

Last week, the Irish government revealed its plans to tighten occupational scheme standards, such as bringing in minimum contribution thresholds, following concerns it raised in the autumn.

It follows a DSP press release in October marking the formal establishment of the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA), in which it added that it had been made aware that some employers were incorrectly telling staff that recent legislative changes require them to join an employer-sponsored pension scheme before the end of 2026.

In a letter to the IAPF, dated 17 November, the DSP secretary general, John McKeon, said the DSP understands that, despite clarifying the law on enrolment in October, some employers still intend to enrol employees into their company pension scheme, to avoid them being enrolled into the My Future Fund scheme.

“In the normal course of events, if the employees concerned were being offered the same pension terms and benefits of other members already in the employer scheme, this might be a welcome development…. We also understand that payments into these pension schemes consist solely of an employer contribution of about 1 per cent of salary,” he wrote, adding that such circumstances would offer “marginal, if any benefit”, to members.

In response to the letter, the IAPF said its members have done “outstanding work” in guiding employees through their option of whether to join their company pension scheme or participate in My Future Fund.

“To protect employers and trustees who provide strong pension arrangements, we have requested an urgent meeting with the department. Our goal is to ensure that any new regulations are fair, practical, and do not penalise those delivering high-quality pension plans,” the IAPF stated.

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