Richard Sheppard, head of pensions for AWD Chase de Vere, claimed that although efforts to achieve this are being made, it remains a “long way away”.

According to the expert, an economic downturn in the financial markets could have a significant effect on the “liquidity” of certain final salary schemes.

Consequently, people cannot expect market returns to provide adequate support for such pension schemes, Mr Sheppard explained.

“For final salary schemes it is a case of making sure that the money is managed well and the contributions are still going in,” he commented.

In related news, a survey by Aon Consulting published earlier this week found that the UK’s state pension is presently the worst in the European Union for the second consecutive year, the BBC reports.

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