Johnston Press Pension Plan (CAS-40879-F5X4)

Ombudsman’s Determination

Outcome

Mr E’s substantive complaint concerning delays in relation to his transfer cannot be investigated, and his other complaints should not be upheld against Open Trustees and Hymans Robertson because:

· the liability for the complaint in relation to delays has transferred to the board of the PPF, and I do not have the jurisdiction to investigate a complaint of this nature against the board of the PPF;

· there is no evidence of Hymans Robertson misinforming Mr E with assurances that he would receive the illustration of a Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) he requested in October 2018; and

· the delayed refund of the CETV fee did not amount to maladministration causing distress or inconvenience.

Complaint summary

Mr E has complained that when he tried to transfer out of the Plan, Hymans Robertson caused delays. He believes that this prevented him from securing a transfer before the Plan entered an assessment period by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), meaning he could no longer transfer out of the Plan. He would like to be able to transfer his funds to a pension provider of his choosing.