Pension penalty clause

In January 1994 I took up a new lecturing appointment with an "old" university and applied to join the Universities Superannuation Scheme.

Previously I was employed by a "new" university (formerly polytechnic) whose pension scheme is administered by the Teachers' Pension Agency. I applied to transfer my pension from the Teachers' SS to the USS.

My new employer's pensions office wrote several letters to the TPA over nine months and eventually handed the problem to me when it had had no acknowledgement of its letters. It told me that it had had very long delays over transfer in the past and that the TPA was notorious for not even acknowledging receipt of letters. One of my new colleagues had waited more than a year for transfer.

I wrote to the TPA and received no reply. One month later I wrote another letter to the TPA; I told it I was also writing to my MP which I did on the same day. Eight days later I received a letter from the TPA with a copy of the assessment which it had sent to the USS.

The next day I received a letter from my MP, Michael Ancram, who told me that he had spoken with the chief executive of the TPA.

I relate the tale in hope that it might help others with a similar problem.

C .N. REFFORD Cranfield University.