By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants.

In last week’s Money Matters column, we started to put the spotlight on pensions.

Employers can help promote retirement benefits for their employees in a number of ways including:

• occupational schemes
• group personal pension schemes
• stakeholder schemes.

Group personal pension schemes and stakeholder schemes are personal plans in individual member’s names, where the employer simply acts as an administrator.

There are no accounting or audit requirements for these types of schemes.

An occupational pension is an arrangement an employer can use to provide benefits for their employees when they leave or retire.

There are two main types of occupational pension scheme in the UK:

• salary-related schemes
• money purchase schemes.

Whatever the type of scheme, it will usually have trustees.

Most company pension schemes in the UK are set up as trusts.

There are two main reasons for this:

• it is necessary in order to gain most of the tax advantages
• it makes sure that the assets of the pension scheme are kept separate from those of the employer.

A trustee is a person or company, acting separately from an employer, who holds assets for the beneficiaries of the pension scheme.

Trustees are responsible for ensuring that the pension scheme is run properly and that members’ benefits are secure.

In fulfilling their role, trustees must be aware of their legal duties and responsibilities.

The law requires trustees to have knowledge and understanding of, among other things, the law relating to pensions and trusts, the funding of pension schemes and the investment of scheme assets.

The law also requires trustees to be familiar with:

• certain pension scheme documents including the trust deed and rules
• the statements of investment principles and funding principles.

A code of practice has been issued by The Pensions Regulator (TPR) explaining what trustees need to do in order to comply with the law in this area.

Trustees should arrange appropriate training as soon as they are appointed and should then continue with their learning to keep their knowledge up to date.

New trustees have six months from their appointment date to comply with this requirement.

Trustees have a number of very important duties and responsibilities, which include:

• acting impartially, prudently, responsibly and honestly and in the best interests of scheme beneficiaries
• acting in line with the trust deed, scheme rules and the legal framework surrounding pensions

In addition to these general duties, trustees also have a number of specific duties and tasks that they must carry out.

The main tasks are to ensure the following happen.

• Contributions: The employer accurately pays over contributions on time. There are strict rules covering this area.
• Financial records and requirements: The right benefits are paid out on time. An annual report is prepared. An auditor’s statement is obtained confirming details of the payment of contributions to the scheme and, if required, an audit of the scheme accounts is arranged.

At Clay Shaw Butler, we produced regularly updated Factsheets on pensions and other tax matters. Get in touch if you have any queries.

You can find out more about money matters on the Clay Shaw Butler website (under our news for business section) –

http://www.clayshawbutler.com/news/latest-news-for-business

We have a strong and experienced team with great local knowledge all geared-up to helping you get the very best from your finances – whether that is as an individual or as a business.

We stay ahead of the game by putting great store by continual professional development for our staff.

With Investors In People status at Clay Shaw Butler, we care passionately about making sure our staff have all the tools they need to serve you, our customers.

Weblink – http://www.clayshawbutler.com

The team at Clay Shaw Butler can be contacted on 01267 228500.

The team at Clay Shaw Butler are on Twitter. Look for @clayshawbutler.

Rory Thornton has today agreed to join Cardiff Blues on a year-long loan deal.

The 23-year old second row, who signed a new deal with the Ospreys earlier this year, will link up with his new colleagues at Wales Capital Region next week to prepare for the coming season.

Thornton saw his game time limited last season, injury restricting him to just four appearances. Following discussions between both regions and national team management, it was agreed that the former Wales Under-20s captain will make the temporary move up the M4 to allow him the best opportunity to get more game time under his belt and to assist his international ambitions going into a Rugby World Cup year.

Speaking about the move, Thornton said:

“I need to be playing rugby and Cardiff need a line out forward so this is a great outcome for everyone. It’s a good move for me in the circumstances and I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the squad next week and preparing for an important season.

 “I’m grateful to the Ospreys for supporting me like this and also to Cardiff Blues for giving me the opportunity.”

 Allen Clarke, Ospreys Head Coach, said:

“The decision to allow Rory to go to Cardiff Blues on loan has been made in his best interests, with international ambitions in mind. A talented young rugby player like Rory will benefit from playing regular rugby, he has ambitions of going to the World Cup, and second row is a position where we have a number of options available.  I want him to go to Cardiff and shine, knowing that we will welcome him back next year.

“It’s important for Welsh rugby that we work collectively to ensure the best outcome for individual players, regions and national team alike.”

Thornton reported to Cardiff Blues training base today ahead of their official start of pre-season on Monday.

Cardiff Blues Head Coach, John Mulvihill, commented:

“It’s great to welcome a player of Rory’s calibre to the Cardiff Blues.

“I have met him a few times now and I’ve been impressed with his desire to play international rugby again. He will get his opportunity to do this playing at the Cardiff Blues.

“The support and cooperation by the WRU, Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys shows Welsh rugby is heading down a path where their best players will get the opportunity to play every week at the highest level. This collective mindset will ensure strength and depth at a national level going forward.

“From a Cardiff Blues perspective, it is important that we have strength in depth in the position and Rory is exactly the right type of lock to add to what we already have.”

Educationalists from 89 countries will convene at Aberystwyth University on 11-13 July to discuss the latest developments in children’s education.

Hosted by the University’s School of Education, A Child’s World – New Shoes, New Direction builds on the success of Aberystwyth’s ‘A Child’s World: Next Steps’ conference  in 2014.

With 118 papers due to be presented over the three days, the focus this year will be on new concepts in Health and Wellbeing, Pedagogy and Working with Children.

The conference will be opened by Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University on Monday 11 July.

Keynote speakers Professor Anne Trine Kjørholt from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Dr Evelyn Arizpe, from the University of Glasgow and Dr Alejandro Paniagua, from the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation at the OECD, Paris will address the conference on the first day.

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Professor Sally Holland, will open proceedings on the second day, with other key contributions from Professor Ming Tak Hue from The Education University of Hong Kong and Professor Janet Boddy from Centre for Innovation and Research in Childhood and Youth at the University of Sussex.

The final day will be opened by Meilyr Rowlands, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector For Education and Training in Wales, followed by Professor Tom Crick MBE from Swansea University.

According to organiser and Director of the School of Education at Aberystwyth University Professor Malcolm Thomas, the aim of the conference is to enable collaboration, createng effective policy and share best practice in childhood studies within an international strategic dimension.

Professor Thomas said: “Since the end of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015, an agenda for global action has been implemented that sets out the Sustainable Development Goals for 2015-2030. Children are very much at the heart of many of these 17 goals. Despite the advances made by the MDGs, children across the world are continually experiencing poverty, inequality, hunger and malnutrition, and the inability to access inclusive and quality education. In certain instances, these are the result of humanitarian crises brought on by drought, earthquakes and intensification of civil conflicts and war. This conference will go some way towards disseminating good practice of how various stakeholders can work collaboratively together to support children, families, carers and teachers.”

Further details about A Child’s World – New Shoes, New Directionare available online https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/education/conference-2018.

The conference this year coincides with the School of Education’s 125^thanniversary.

As well as single and joint honours degrees in Education, Aberystwyth provides  post-graduate teacher training including the introduction from September 2019 of a pioneering programme accredited by the Education Workforce Council.

Photo: The conference will be held on the Penglais Campus, Aberystwyth University

Links:
A Child’s World – New Shoes, New Direction https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/education/conference-2018

Department of Education
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/education/

Press release from the Hywel Dda University Health Board: Join our Annual General Meeting

Anyone with an interest in local health care services is invited to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Hywel Dda University Health Board at 3.30pm on Thursday 26 July 2018.

This year, the AGM will review the achievements and challenges of the last year and set the direction for the year to come. The organisation’s Annual Report, including summary accounts and the Annual Quality Statement, will be at the AGM and explain clearly to staff, patients, and the general public what has been achieved in the year, what has been difficult, and how the health board intends improve services for local people.

Hywel Dda University Health Board Chair Bernardine Rees OBE said: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to extend a warm welcome to staff, patients or members of our community who may want to attend our AGM. We look forward to this opportunity to share our reflections on the past year with our local population and to set our goals, aspirations and priorities for the year to come. I would urge those with an interest in local health care services to attend this meeting, or alternatively join our Siarad Iechyd/Talking Health membership scheme.

“Over the past year we have worked hard to address the challenges we continue to face, but we have also seen many achievements to be very proud of and I personally thank each and every one of our staff for their tireless efforts, day in and day out, for the benefit of our patients.

“This coming year is one where we will continue our focus, not just on improving our financial position and strengthening our workforce, but also on ‘Our Big NHS Change’ proposals which aim to significantly improve our health and care services, making them safe, sustainable, accessible and kind for the future. We look forward to achieving that aim together with our staff, partners and local communities and becoming a population health organisation, firmly focused on patient-centred care.”

The meeting will be held in Pembrokeshire College (Rooms L1.15/L1.17), Merlin’s Bridge, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA61 1SZ.

Members of the public are welcome to attend. To ensure adequate provision can be made available, please advise the Board Secretary at Hywel Dda University Health Board, Corporate Offices, Ystwyth Building, St David’s Park, Carmarthen SA31 3BB or by e-mail to: joanne.wilson4@wales.nhs.uk, telephone 01267 239644.

For more information on Siarad Iechyd/Talking Health:

•       visit www.talkinghealth.wales.nhs.uk 
•       telephone 01554 899056

A full scale model of the ExoMars rover which is set to search for life on Mars in 2021 has been named after a pioneering Aberystwyth University space roboticist.

Barnes has been named after the late Professor Dave Barnes who initiated Aberystwyth University’s involvement with the European Space Agency / Roscosmos mission to Mars.

Professor Barnes, who died suddenly in 2014, was also a leading member of the team that developed and built the innovative Beagle2 lander that formed part of the 2003 Mars Express mission.

Built by Stephen Fearn and Dr Matt Gunn from the Department of Physics, the Aberystwyth replica was unveiled by Sue Horne MBE, Head of Space Exploration for the UK Space Agency, and Dr Helen Miles from Aberystwyth University on Friday 29 June 2018, at a celebration of the work of Aberystwyth space scientists and solar physicists.

The Barnes ExoMars Rover will be used to promote the ESA/Roscosmos mission which is due to launch in 2020.

Using cameras and emulated instruments, the interactive model will also explain some of the science the mission’s actual rover will perform once it has landed on Mars.

Dr Helen Miles from the Department of Computer Science at Aberystwyth University has been instrumental in designing many of Aberystwyth’s ExoMars outreach activities.

Dr Miles said: “Deciding to name our full size model after Professor Dave Barnes was a poignant moment for us, but one very much in keeping with a tradition that has developed over the years. Several prototype rovers have been built as we prepare for the mission, and all have names starting with ‘B’.

“There are several prototype rovers in existence, Bridget, Brian and Bruno developed by Airbus, and here at Aberystwyth we have been working with a miniature half scale prototype that we have called Blodwen. So Barnes fitted perfectly.”

Dr Helen Miles developed a virtual model to produce simulated camera images from the rover, which is being used by engineers building the mission’s actual rover for the mission.

The ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars Rover is being developed by Thales Alenia Space and built by Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage.

Professor Barnes’ work on ExoMars included the development of the rover’s colour swatch, which was inspired by medieval stained glass.

Designed to withstand the very high levels of ultraviolet light on Mars which causes colours to fade quickly, the swatch will be used to calibrate the mission’s camera and spectrometer systems to ensure colours are recorded accurately.

Professor Barnes’s work has been progressed by the space robotics team at Aberystwyth University, led by Dr Matt Gunn.

Dr Gunn is a member of three international instrument teams on the ExoMars mission;

• PanCam, a system of three scientific cameras for digital terrain mapping and is led by the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London;
• ISEM, the mission’s infrared spectrometer that will assess mineralogy of targets and is led by Russian Academy of Science Space Research Institute;
• and CLUPI, a high-resolution camera designed for close-up images which is led by the Swiss based Space Exploration Institute.

The Aberystwyth team have been involved with field testing of prototype instruments and developing the pipeline for processing images sent back to Earth from Mars.

Dr Gunn and colleagues have been testing the mission’s camera system, PanCam, in remote desert like locations around the world, including Iceland, Utah in the USA and the Atacama Desert in South America.

Dr Gunn said: “The camera systems on this mission are highly sensitive as the scientists who work with these images will be looking for very subtle changes in colour. These images are not ordinary colour photographs; they will be used to work out the different types of rocks on Mars. It is known that some rocks form in wet environments, so accurately interpreting the images may help mission scientists to pinpoint where to look for possible signs of life.”

“Professor Barnes started all of our research with ExoMars and was a pioneer in space robotics. He is dearly missed and naming the Aberystwyth model is particularly apt. We are hoping the model will continue to inspire people in the way that Dave inspired us.”

The Aberystwyth ExoMars Rover is available for shows and school visits. To find out more visit the ExoMars at Aberystwyth University website. It is also possible to follow Barnes on Twitter @BarnesRover.

Photo: Pictured left to right are Stephen Fearn and Dr Matt Gunn who have built the Barnes ExoMars Rover, and Dr Helen Miles. Dr Matt Gunn is holding the mission’s colour calibration target which was developed by the late Professor Dave Barnes.

Links:

ExoMars at Aberystwyth
http://exomars.wales/outreach/barnes/

ExoMars Aberystwyth University
http://exomars.wales/outreach/barnes/

ESA/Roscosmos ExoMars
http://exploration.esa.int/mars/

Department of Computer Science
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/cs/

Department of Physics
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/phys/

Intelligent Robotics at Aberystwyth University
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/cs/research/ir/

Study Solar System Physics at Aberystwyth University
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/phys/research/solar/

Carmarthenshire County Council is encouraging people to hop on board and try public transport during ‘Catch the Bus Week’ this week (July 2 – 8)

The national event raises awareness about the benefits of travelling by bus with the hope of achieving long term travel change.

There are several public transport services in Carmarthenshire, including buses specifically to serve rural communities, such as Bwcabus which allows anyone to book a journey, linking those who feel stranded to the mainline busses and further afield.

The council partners with a number of companies to service a large network of routes, and also subsidises services such as Carmarthen’s Park and Ride from Nantyci.

During Catch the Bus Week, the council is encouraging people to travel by bus to explore Carmarthenshire’s fantastic events.

Cllr Hazel Evans, Executive Board Member for Environment, including transport, said: “During Catch the Bus Week I would really encourage people to leave the car at home even if just for one day, and experience how comfortable and convenient the bus can be. Buses boost the economy and carry more commuters daily than all other forms of transport combined, providing crucial access to many people who are dependent on the services for work and personal needs.

“With bus services such as Bwcabus allowing those in very rural areas to plan and book journeys, the bus services are becoming increasingly accessible to all.

“A number of events coincide with Catch the Bus Week – why not make the most of both and jump on the bus down to Pembrey and Burry Port Carnival or visit the town of Ammanford to try your hand at some arts and crafts.”

For more information visit the travel section on the council’s website to plan your journeys and visit the Discover Carmarthenshire website to see what’s on.

• Switching just one car journey in 25, or once a month to bus or coach, can remove one billion car journeys from our roads and result in a reduction of 2,000,000 tonnes of CO2
• Buses are critical to supporting community life by keeping people connected
• Bwcabus offer – Children travel free – Adults travel for child’s price – Valid on July 7