Complaints Procedure

If you have any problems or complaints concerning your benefits, you may wish to use the SIPS complaints procedure. You can find details of the procedure below.

We hope most problems that arise can be resolved quickly by talking to your Personnel Department or by contacting the SIPS team, who will be able to explain your pension benefits to you and hopefully alleviate any concerns you have.

If you are still unhappy, you can contact the Scheme Secretary with details of your complaint. The Scheme Secretary will consider your complaint and write to you with his decision. If you are not satisfied with this decision, you should ask for a formal complaints form. Completing the formal complaints form and returning it to the Trustee starts the formal procedure for resolving disputes, which is known as the Internal Disputes Resolution Procedure (IDRP).

In the first instance, your complaint will be considered by a committee of the Trustee Board. The committee will look at the facts of your case and will send you a formal response, usually within two months, detailing how it suggests resolving your dispute. If you are unsatisfied with the committee´s response, you can request that your dispute is considered by the full Trustee Board. You should receive a response from the full Trustee Board within two months.

At any time during your complaint, you can seek advice from the Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS) — visit www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk for more details. If your complaint still cannot be resolved, you can contact the Pensions Ombudsman (www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk), whose role is to investigate and resolve disputes.