To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the recent Court of Appeal judgement in the case of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Jacqueline Lewis against the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the new Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision Directive will be applied to the local government pension scheme in January 2019.
This answer is the replacement for a previous holding answer.
Answered on
6 November 2018
Following the Government’s success at the Court of Appeal, pending the conclusion of any further legal proceedings, I intend to reinstate the guidance provided to Local Government Pension Scheme administering authorities requiring that they should not pursue investment policies that are contrary to UK foreign policy or UK defence policy.
Separately, the Directive on the Activities and Supervision of Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision (IORP II) is due to be implemented by 13 January 2019. We do not feel it is necessary to change the rules of the Local Government Pension Scheme to give effect to it as we consider that its investment rules and governance requirements already comply with the Directive’s objectives.