People should see all retirement and savings pots info in one place

The government should launch 'pensions dashboards' in this month's Budget

Confusion about pensions is rife (Getty)

Consumer group Which? has today joined the campaign for the Government to set up a “pensions dashboard” system, to allow savers to see all their retirement and savings pots information in one place.

The Financial Conduct Authority has said it will work with the Government to develop a pensions dashboard. But Which? says the Government should make a public commitment to its creation and a timeline for it to be introduced in the Budget on 16 March “to help people secure a better retirement income”.

Its research found that nearly half of people over 50 who are employed and have a personal pension are not confident about the money they have saved for their retirement. A fifth said they have never checked how much cash they have saved in total in all their pension savings, and the same amount wouldn't know how to find out about the details of their pots.

In March 2015, the FCA said it was in discussions with the Government to explore the best way to create a pensions dashboard which will allow people to see their pots all together.

The financial services industry supported the call. “Consumers need clear information available in easily manageable chunks that they can access when and how they choose,” said Laurence Baxter of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Kate Smith, head of pensions at Aegon, said: "Having the ability for people to see all their pensions, including the State pension, in one place online could be a major step forward in helping them plan for their retirement. People will be able to see exactly what they have built up and what more they need to do to achieve the retirement income they aspire to."