Insights on the written ministerial statement of 22 October

In a written statement published on 22 October, the government reaffirmed its support for pensions dashboards and announced the MoneyHelper dashboard will be made publicly available before commercial dashboards are launched. As Principal of the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP), I would like to share my thoughts and insights on this significant development for dashboards.

UK government is committed to pensions dashboards

In the statement, the government reiterated its commitment to launching pensions dashboards which will allow people to see all their pensions information together in one, online and secure place. This is not just a vote of confidence in the programme, but a reminder of the profound impact pensions dashboards will have on helping people plan their retirement.

Having witnessed so much hard work go into the programme, it is especially gratifying to see our progress being highlighted. The government notes that the Infrastructure and Projects Authority has increased its confidence in the programme’s ability to deliver against our revised plan. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved for their efforts in helping us reach this point.

MoneyHelper pensions dashboard prioritised

For pensions dashboards to be successful, it is crucial that users have the best possible experience. To achieve this, the government will prioritise the launch of the MoneyHelper pensions dashboard before commercial dashboards are made available to consumers. This will generate valuable insights into user behaviour, which will be instrumental in shaping future iterations of dashboards.

It will also ensure greater confidence in operational delivery, security, and consumer protection. Making pensions dashboards available to consumers is a complex and unprecedented task. It is important we get this right to create a stable, dependable service which the public has faith in.

Nonetheless, the government remains committed to commercial dashboards and ensuring people can access their pensions information in the way that works best for them.

PDP will be working closely with potential dashboard providers, DWP, and the regulators on a pathway for development and implementation of dashboards. We will hold engagement sessions with potential dashboard providers in November to look at the next steps for progressing this work.

PDP current focus and next steps

We are working with a small number of volunteer participants on connecting to the pensions dashboards ecosystem, to be ready for the start of wider industry staging in 2025. We are taking regular feedback and using the insights gained to shape the connection process for the remaining volunteer participants, and for wider industry when the time comes.

In the coming weeks we will publish our bi-annual progress update report, looking back at our work over the last 6 months and providing updates from government and the regulators. We will also be hosting a webinar on 6 November with guest speakers from The Pensions Regulator (TPR) and GOV.UK One Login, where we will be discussing this progress update in more detail.

As our collective hard work continues, this show of support from the government is a testament to the progress we have made together. We will continue to build momentum, working collaboratively to ensure pensions dashboards meet the highest standards of security, usability and functionality.