The UK National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has set out an essential checklist of 10 elements it says the government must consider before publishing its long awaited green paper on UK pension reform later this month.

Launching the NAPF's autumn conference on November 19, where John Denham, the minister of state for welfare reform was making a keynote address to the UK pensions community, Peter Murray, chairman of the NAPF, said: The green paper provides a unique opportunity for the government to relaunch and restore confidence in individual pension savings plans, and this must be achieved without damaging that great occupational welfare success - the occupational pensions movement. Therefore, at the NAPF there are 10 major things that we are looking for in the new legislation."

Included in the 10, Murray says, were compulsory 'stakeholder' pensions for those who could afford them, as well as the recommendation that employers without occupational schemes be required to contribute to their employees' private plans.

Murray also called for the repealing of the 1986 social security act preventing employers from placing workers in decent occupational schemes, and he argued for less burden to be put on those employers which already handsomely meet retirement benefit provisions. He added that any retirement reform would be in vain unless the UK's tax regime became 'pensions friendly'.

However, Denham kept his cards close to his chest during his speech.

"The green paper will spell out the government's vision for the future of UK pension provision."

He did hint that the government would be seeking to attract more em-ployees into occupational schemes and declared his full support for the retention of trustee arrangements both in company and private pension plans.

He said the government was closely examining the 'gaping holes in the social security system' on which the poor in the country depend, suggesting that compulsory stakeholder pensions may be an answer to this.

He attempted to 'boost' the debate on ethical investment, and suggested new minimum funding requirements, or even a central discontinuance fund would be in the legislation."

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