Government Actuary's Department services
Updated 7 July 2020
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We provide actuarial solutions including financial risk analysis, modelling and advice to support the UK public sector.
We apply the actuarial profession’s technical skills, consultancy discipline, high standards of professionalism and industry sector knowledge to solve financial challenges faced by the UK public sector in:
Please contact enquiries@gad.gov.uk for further information.
Insurance and Investment
GAD provides actuarial advice to government departments, public bodies and local authorities on life, general and health insurance related matters.
Insurance and risk transfer
Our analysis and advice also applies to a wide range of challenges ranging from the impact of climate change to social care funding. We value contingent liabilities (working out what organisations could be financially liable for in the future) and we offer advice on financing solutions for high impact, low probability events (like natural disasters). More information is available about insurance and risk transfer.
Investment and risk
We provide advice on investment aspects of pensions and insurance and undertake specialist projects on the management of risk within UK government departments and financial institutions. We help organisations understand the investment risks that they are exposed to and how best to invest to meet their objectives.
We publish monthly blogs about issues around actuarial work and the investment industry on Actuaries in government. These articles are complemented by Market data insights, GAD’s monthly analysis of the markets and other financial indicators. Please click the link to see more of what we offer in investment and risk.
Data science, Modelling and Quality Assurance
We provide advice and specialist support to inform effective decision-making across a full range of policy areas.
Data science
We use interactive dashboards, maps and visualisations to help inform strategic decisions and identify trends. Data science is central to our traditional actuarial work and now permeates all areas of government work. Advanced techniques include machine learning to analyse large data sets and powerful visualisation packages. Find out more about GAD’s data science offer.
Modelling
GAD provides advice on financial and demographic modelling, as well as other bespoke modelling services. We provide guidance at all stages of the modelling process, from designing a model that is fit for purpose through to clearly communicating the significance of the outputs. Further details are available about our modelling services.
Quality assurance
We also provide objective review and quality assurance of models developed by other organisations, including the processes surrounding these models. Please click the link to find out more about our quality assurance work.
Pensions and Social Security
GAD carries out actuarial analysis for government departments and public bodies to provide input into policy development, working with colleagues in other government departments.
Public service pension schemes
We provide actuarial advice on all the main UK public service pension schemes - this impacts on around 15 million people in total. Further details and an overview of our work in public service pension schemes is available here.
Funded pension schemes
GAD advises funded occupational pension schemes (those with assets backing the liabilities) in the wider public sector. We offer consultancy services for trustees of schemes, advice to sponsors and strategic benefit and investment reviews. Select the link for more information on our work regarding funded pension schemes.
Pensions policy, regulation and supervision
We draw on our actuarial knowledge, wide-ranging experience and understanding of pensions issues to offer technical and analytical advice on pensions issues which recognises the broader policy context. Further details and an overview of our work in the area of pensions policy, regulation and supervision are available online.
Staff transfers
We advise public sector bodies where staff are set to have their pensions arrangements changed. Our main services include broad comparability assessments and advice on potential bulk transfer shortfall costs. We help with staff communications and we liaise with pensions administrators and lawyers. Guidance is available on our staff transfers webpage and select the link for further information about the work we carry out around staff transfers.
Social security
GAD provides reports to Parliament on the financial position of the National Insurance Fund. Each year we produce a report summarising the impact on the Fund of the proposed uprating of benefits and re-rating of contribution limits. Every 5 years a more comprehensive report is prepared to consider the estimated financial position of the Fund over the longer term. Furthermore, we provide advice to social security organisations in other countries. More details are available about social security.