Consultations & Engagement

The Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) published ‘Facilitating investment in illiquid assets’ on 30 March 2022.

On 11th May 2022 the Governments Department for Levelling up, Housing & Communities has released policy paper Levelling Up and Regeneration: further information. 

The Government have published a consultation on reforming Solvency II in the UK; the deadline for responses is 21 July 2022. A key aim of their proposed reforms is to enable the UK’s insurance industry to invest tens of billions of pounds in long-term UK infrastructure and green projects.

New rules were introduced on 6 October 2020, as part of the UK’s implementation of the Fifth Money Laundering Directive (5MLD), which extend the scope of the trust register to all UK and some non-UK trusts that are currently open, whether or not the trust has to pay any tax, but with some specific exclusions.

In mid-April 2022 AREF, along with other real-estate related associations, submitted proposals to the FCA on ESG metrics for real estate. Click to view this proposal.

In December 2021 the European Commission published their draft directive for rules to prevent the misuse of shell entities for tax purposes. They have invited comments on this until 6 April 2022.

View AREF's responses to consultations from FCA, ESMA and IOSCO on ESG Ratings and Data Providers.

AREF has brought its Guidance on Expense Ratios in line with the Total Global Expense Ratio (TGER ) Click to view the proposed guidance, the Q&As and example of the changes

View information on SFDR here.

View the draft response to this consultation. Please send comments by 28th Feb. HMT have published an open consultation on Financial promotion exemptions for high net worth individuals and sophisticated investors. The deadline for response is 9 March 2022.

HM Treasury have published their Summary of responses to the Call for Input on the Government’s review of the UK funds regime.

In October 2021 the Government Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published an open consultation on Climate and Investment reporting: setting expectations and empowering savers. View the AREF response to this consultation.

See AREF’s response to the FCA’s discussion paper (DP21/4) on Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) and investment labels.

View AREF's draft response to FCA CP21/17 Enhancing climate-related disclosures by asset managers, life insurers, and FCA-regulated pension providers.

In early December 2021, both the FCA and HM Treasury published consultations relating to the Appointed Representatives regime (AR regime). Both the FCA and HM Treasury have requested responses by 3 March 2022.

This is consulting on a proposal to introduce macroprudential limits on leverage and to provide guidance to limit liquidity mismatch for Irish-authorised property funds (subject to AIFMD). We are considering setting up a working group to assist with AREF’s response.

MRC published a call for evidence to look at potential options and ideas to simplify the land and property VAT exemptions. On 30 November HMRC published a summary of responses to the call for evidence. Click for more info.

AREF responded to the HMT consultation exploring whether changes to the tax treatment of companies used by funds to hold assets could make the UK a more attractive location for these companies. HMT have published their response to feedback and a second stage consultation.

In the 2021 Autumn Budget, the Government confirmed they would introduce RPDT from April 2022.

The FCA published this Policy Statement as a follow on from their consultation (CP21/12) on a new category of authorised open-ended fund called the long-term asset fund (LTAF).

The MHCLG published a consultation on the Building Safety Levy, click to view AREF's response.

View the materials from this event including useful links, slides and a recording of the discussion.

View AREF's response to the FCA consultation (CP21/12) on a new category of authorised open-ended fund called the long-term asset fund (LTAF).

View the DWP's response to their consultations on Improving outcomes for members of DC schemes and Incorporating performance fees within the charge cap.

AREF and the IA jointly responded to CP20/15 in November 2020. FCA FS21/8 gives feedback to this response, click for more information.

View AREF's response to DWP's consultations on 'Incorporating performance fees within the charge cap' and 'Improving outcomes for members of defined contribution pension schemes.'

The Government wishes to better understand how landlords and tenants are responding to the build-up of rent arrears that has occurred as a result of businesses being unable to trade normally during the pandemic.

Click to view a short update on NRCGT

View the materials from this event, including slides and a recording.

The work programme outlines IOSCO's priorities and key deliverables for 2021-2022.

To inform both the Thematic Review of the Recommendations for Liquidity Risk Management for Collective Investment Schemes and the Joint Analysis with FSB, IOSCO has issued a Market Participants' Survey. Click for more information.

The regulations introducing portfolio exemption from UKNRCG were laid before the parliament on 2 March. Click to view more.

View the response submitted by AREF

The European Commission have extended the deadline due to a request from a number of stakeholders citing high workloads.

View the guidelines published by ESMA on leverage risk

View the joint response from AREF and the IA to this consultation.

As part of the Government’s Spending Review they have published a Response to the Consultation on the Reform to Retail Prices Index (RPI) Methodology.

The European Commission have published a public consultation on their review of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD). The deadline for responses is 29 January 2021.

HMRC are consulting on authorised property funds continuing to be held in ISAs. AREF will be responding to this consultation.

View a copy of the joint response from AREF and the Investment Association.

View the DWP consultation on improving outcomes for members of defined contribution pension schemes. This consultation closes on 30th October 2020.

Click to read the a near final draft response by AREF and the Investment Association (IA)

The FCA have released CP20/20: Our approach to International firms providing or seeking to provide financial services that require authorisation in the UK. 

View the draft response, and a link to a roundtable with the FCA on 6th October.

View an update from the Retail Funds committee on MUC and ongoing engagement with the FCA

This Call for Input (CFI) is looking at areas where the FCA believes the consumer investment market is not working well for customers.

Click to view AREF's response to this consultation.

Click to view AREF's response to this consultation.

Click to read which type of funds are affected by new FCA rules on fund suspensions due to material uncertainty.

Deadline for final comments is Monday 17 August