Bulletin Board

The Coalition Government has recently announced its intention to change from the Retail Price Index (RPI) to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for adjustments to pensions. The RSA, and other pensions organisations, believe this will adversely affect the future value of pensions. The Government, however, has not yet finalised its proposals, and even then will have to lay them before Parliament for debate and approval. In the meantime The Pensions Regulator has issued a Statement to assist trustees and employers in managing the impact of the proposed changes and how The Pensions Regulator will deal with this issue in the regulatory processes.

The Trustees of the caaps will comply with the Regulator’s requirements and are actively seeking advice, from their Legal Advisor, regarding the proposed changes and their possible impact on pensions and pensioners of the caaps.

The Pensions Regulator has this week published a statement on the Consumer Prices Index intended to assist trustees and employers in managing the impact of the proposed changes, and to outline how the regulator will deal with this issue in our regulatory processes.

Once changes - including any legislative provisions - are finalised the regulator will expand this guidance and provide further information on the principles it will use to deal with any impact on schemes currently engaged in our regulatory processes.

The Webmaster has received a number of requests to provide a facility for retired staff to contact ex-colleagues and friends, or pass on information which may be general interest to members. The previous web site provided a registry of e-mail addresses, but this was withdrawn following complaints of SPAM. However I would be prepared to play postman and act as an intermediary. I reserve the right to withdraw the service if it gets out of hand and will remove old contributions eventually!

Contributions, including photographs or clips, can only be accepted by e-mail. Photographs or clips will be reduced in size appropriate to web design, but full-sized versions can be made available on request. The originator's name can be printed but, in the interests of privacy, not their e-mail address, telephone number or postal address. They are not in any particular order but just appear in the order as received. The Webmaster reserves the right not to publish.

Roger Myers, who is one of Contrail's crossword producers, is currently arranging a re-union barge trip on the Basingstoke canal for ex-Bletchley Park CTE staff on the 31st August. To date he has 21 interested but can accept more as the barge will accommodate 50 people. If any of you are ex Bletchley CTE staff and are interested or if you know of anyone who was there and have contact with them please contact Roger direct by email at rogermyers@btinternet.com.

Jim Lawson hosted the Autumn 2009 meeting at Channels Golf Club near Chelmsford on Monday 21 September. Eight members attended for lunch, 18 holes of Stableford and a meal at the clubhouse.

Also attending were Alan McMichael, Mike Jefferson, John Wallace, Rick Platel, George Paulson and Ted Pillinger.

Channels offers a varied challenge and the fairways were in excellent condition.

The retired section meets three times a year in the SE of England. We would be very pleased to see any members of the RSA at our meetings.

The following information has been supplied by Julie Atkinson, serving at Manchester.

We will have been at this site for 35 years almost to the day. More significantly this is the end of an era as there will be no more area control from the North so we intend to mark the occasion. Whilst I will mention Barton Hall my main focus in MACC or Manchester sub Centre as it was.

People at MACC have been very kind in donating photos of the centre and I am collecting them all together, but this is of course a limited audience given the number of people that have worked here since 1975. I would love to receive photos, scanned copies etc of the sub centre/ MACC and other more social events. More importantly I am finding that I am sometimes lacking the context for the photos and I would really like a little commentary with them – something to set the scene. I have very little by way of ‘text’, so any magazine or journal articles, log book extracts, anecdotes (printable ones!) etc would be very well received.

I held a little get together on the 3^rd June which was great fun and very successful. I am planning another open day event on 21st September The chap who will be editing our history booklet would like to visit and I thought that this would be a great way for him to meet people. I guess he will want to collect contacts etc so that he can write stories associated with events & photographs and would be happy for any former MACC folks to attend, though I must stress that they phone or email me to let me know as they will need security passes.

I am happy to chat to people about anything they have that might be useful, or just to receive an email. My contact details are

Julie also supplied the following picture taken in the very early days of the sub-centre. I was based at Manchester at that time and am able to comment on the picture. - Webmaster

Fancy a quiet stay in a self-catering cottage in the Forest of Dean? Click HERE to see what one of our members has to offer!

We understand he joined what was then the MTCA in 1945 after serving as a spitfire pilot in the RAF and then as an ATCO with us. He worked at the original Prestwick Centre and then at the Southern A.T.C.C. at Heathrow and briefly at West Drayton as a D.D., before finishing up at Bournemouth, when he retired in 1972. His widow, Betty, is looking for information about his service in both the RAF and later in ATC since he is to be the subject of a book!

If anyone has knowledge or information about Roy Norfolk, please contact by e-mail to webster@caa-rsa.org.uk and I will forward it to Betty.

The following was received from Ted Pillinger, Secretary of the EASTERN(Stansted) Branch

The following organisation may be of interest to many of our members if they had served in any of the armed forces.

In particular any members who served as regulars between the war and 1975 for a short or medium period would not have been given any pension rights although their services pay would have been reduced in respect of an anticipated pension.

I am a member of CAFF and would benefit from any changes made by the government. But I support the CAFF campaign because there are many people out there who have served their country and do not have the benefit of a pension like ours or even any recognition of their service to their country. These people may have served in Korea, Malaysia, Kenya or Aden.

Members of the CAFF have been trying to enlist their MP's help in getting recognition for these people and I have a written response from my MP saying that he supports the campaign.

Some of our members who are on low pensions (as mentioned) could well benefit, if they served, if the government revised the position with respect to service pensions.

CAFF is also active on a range of welfare matters and other activities supporting current and ex members of HM Forces.

Following the publication of the Draft Code of Practice associated with the Pensions Act 2004 it becomes apparent that the Trustees of Schemes, not the sponsoring employers, will become responsible for recognising, or otherwise, the appropriate 'organisations which adequately represent pensioner members'.

With this in mind the RSA is in the process of submitting its response to a letter from Roger Mountford, Chairman of the Trustees of the CAAPS, inviting our views on the structure and number of Trustees, before the Trustees embark on discussions on the method to appoint Member Nominated Trustees (MNTs).

Similar letters of invitation have been sent to the Chairmen of CAA and NATS and their respective Trade Unions representatives. Viewers will be kept informed as further information becomes available.

Pensioners will have received a letter advising them of the launching of a new website. The site www.caaps.co.uk will let you access your personal details which are held on a secure website to protect your confidential information. Other scheme information such as the Pension Guide and Annual Report will also be held on the website. Clear instructions on password access are on the site. Your webmaster has tried it out and found it simple and friendly to operate. If I can do it, I'm sure you can also!