RHA RETIREMENT BENEFITS PLAN
Defined Benefit Pension Scheme (closed to new entrants in 1999)
About the pension plan
The Road Haulage Association Retirement Benefits Plan was established in the 1950s to provide employees of the RHA with the opportunity to have a pension income from the Association when they retired.
The Plan provides what are known as a 'defined benefit' or 'final salary' pensions - the amount of pension income that is paid at retirement depends upon how many years an employee is a contributing member of the Plan and how much they earn when they leave employment.
The RHA closed the defined benefit Plan to new joiners in 1999 and has instead offered pension saving through a ‘defined contribution’ or ‘money purchase’ pension arrangement to new employees since then.
The pension Plan is entirely separated from the RHA and is looked after by a Trustee board made up of four individuals whose role is to act in the best interests of the members.
Statement of Investment Principles
There is a great deal of regulation which sets out how the Plan must be managed and the duties of the Trustee Board. Part of these regulations covers the investment of the Plan’s assets and requires the Trustee Board to have a formal document which explains how it invests the money. This is called the Statement of Investment Principles.
The Statement of Investment Principles is a formal technical document which sets out the Trustee Board's:
- investment strategy
- investment objectives
- investment policies
It also includes other details such as the Trustee Board's environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations, details of the relationships with investment managers and how delegated voting rights are exercised.
The Trustee Board is required to make a copy of the Statement available online.
You can view or download a copy of the Plan’s SIP here and the latest Implementation Statement here.
ANNUAL CHAIR GOVERNANCE STATEMENT
Trustees of a pension scheme which provides pension saving on a defined contribution basis (which the Plan did historically for several years) must also prepare an annual governance statement. This statement is a formal technical document which sets out information such as:
- The investment strategy used for the defined contribution money and how this has performed.
- The charges and costs of the defined contribution section
- A Value for Members assessment setting out the extent to which the defined contribution section of the Plan provides value for its members.
The Trustee Board is required to make a copy of the Chair Statement available online. You can view or download a copy of the Plan’s latest Statement here.