Terms & Conditions

Please read these terms and conditions carefully before using this website.

This website www.ussconsultation2023.co.uk ("website") is owned and operated by Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited ("USS/we/us"), a company registered in England and Wales under company number 01167127 and whose registered office is Royal Liver Building, Liverpool L3 1PY.

Please note that use of this website is subject to the terms and conditions set out below ("Terms") and by accessing/using the website, you agree to abide by the Terms. If you do not agree with the Terms, please do not use the website.

We have the right to amend these Terms from time to time. Every time you wish to use this website, please check these Terms to ensure you understand the Terms that apply at that time.

The USS Privacy Notice and USS Cookie Policy also apply to the use of this website.

In the event of any inconsistency between the content of these Terms, the website and any other conditions that may apply to your use of the website (including any secure part thereof) ("Specific Terms") and the Trust Deed and Rules of Universities Superannuation Scheme, the Trust Deed and Rules of Universities Superannuation Scheme (as applicable) shall take precedence, followed by any Specific Terms, then these Terms, and then the website.

  1. General conditions
  2. Reliance on information posted
  3. Copyright
  4. Third party websites
  5. Warranties
  6. Your conduct
  7. Viruses, hacking and other offences
  8. Liability
  9. Third party rights
  10. Severance
  11. Governing law
  12. Contact us

The information on this website is directed at those persons who are affected employees of USS (current active members of USS and employees who are in roles eligible to join USS) and their representatives (independent recognised trade unions and other elected or appointed representatives) and participating employers in USS and their Nominated Consultation Contacts ("NCCs").

Nothing on this website shall either constitute any offer to provide to any person any goods or services or give rise to any obligation or liability to pay any benefits.

We may terminate, change or suspend any part of this website, including any of its content or features, at any time without notice and in addition we reserve the right to refuse or suspend access to the website or to close it. We will not be liable if for any reason this website is unavailable at any time or for any period.

Commentary and other materials posted on our website are not intended to amount to advice on which reliance should be placed. We therefore disclaim all liability (to the fullest extent permitted by law and subject to the paragraph headed "Liability" below) arising from any reliance placed on such materials by any visitors to our website or by anyone who may be informed of any of its contents.

This website, including its design, operation and content is USS proprietary material. All rights are expressly reserved. The material contained on this website may be used in accordance with these Terms for the purposes of registering NCCs and complying with the NCC duties, accessing the statutory consultation material and additional supporting information and other scheme communications issued during the consultation period and for responding to the consultation, including printing hard copies of any page of this website and saving any pages of this website (including saving copies of any documents and other materials) provided you retain all and any copyright and proprietary notices. Any other use of materials on this website is strictly prohibited.

You may not copy, reproduce, transit, store, adapt or modify any of the images or content on our website or place hyperlinks to our website without our prior written consent.

From time to time we may include links on this website which lead to websites operated by other parties. We provide these links because we think they may be of use and interest to you. We have no connection with such other websites and can accept no responsibility for their security, content or availability. You should check the terms and conditions and privacy policies of any third party websites.

As noted above, we try to provide general information on this website which we believe will be of use to affected employees, their representatives and participating employers of USS and NCCs. Please be aware that the information, commentary and other materials contained in this website (including but not limited to any notice board summaries, legislation overviews and other related issues) should be treated as general guidance only and not as financial or professional advice on which you should rely. Please note that we make no warranties, representations or guarantees, express or implied, as to the accuracy of the information, guidance, commentary and other materials provided on this website. We will not accept any liability for any loss or damage caused by any use of, or reliance on, any information on this website. Each individual's circumstances are different, and we would advise that users of the website seek specific advice and contact a financial adviser. If you would like further information about contacting a financial adviser, you can use the Money Advice Service’s adviser directory to find a list of regulated financial advisers.

You must not use the website in any way that causes, or is likely to cause, the website and/or access to it to be interrupted, damaged or otherwise interfered with. In particular, you must use the website for lawful purposes only and not use the website in connection with any fraudulent and/or unlawful activity.

Whilst we make every effort to protect it, we do not guarantee that use of our website will be uninterrupted or error free.

We do not guarantee that the website will be secure or free from bugs, viruses or defects of any description.

You are responsible for configuring your information technology, computer programmes and platform to access the website. You should use your own virus protection software.

You must not, and you must not allow any other persons to:

  • misuse the website by knowingly introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or other material which is malicious or technologically harmful;
  • gain unauthorised access to the website, the server on which the website is stored or any server, computer or database connected to the website; or
  • attack the website via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of-service attack.

By breaching the above paragraphs, you will commit a criminal offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. We will report any such breach to the relevant law enforcement authorities, and we will co-operate with those authorities by disclosing your identity. In the event of such a breach, your right to use the website will cease immediately.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits USS's liability for death or personal injury arising from its negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited by English law.

We will not be liable to any user for any loss or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, even if foreseeable, arising under or connection with use of or inability to use this website or your reliance on any content or materials displayed on it.

You agree to cover any losses, liabilities, costs, damages, expenses and professional fees that we may reasonably incur and/or suffer as a result of your breach of these Terms, including (but not limited to):

  • Any claim by a third party; and/or
  • Any fines or penalties imposed by any regulatory, advertising or trading body or authority in connection with your breach of these Terms.

Nothing in these Terms shall confer on any third party any rights or benefits under the provisions of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999. This does not affect any right or remedy of any person which exists, or is available, otherwise than pursuant to that Act.

If at any time any provision of these Terms is or becomes illegal, invalid or unenforceable, that shall not impair the legality, validity or enforceability of any other provision of these Terms and such illegal, invalid or unenforceable provision will be severed from the rest, to the extent that this does not affect the validity of the remainder.

These Terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them, are governed by, and shall be construed in accordance with, the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim that arises out of or in connection with these Terms.

If you have any queries regarding our website or these Terms please contact us via employerconsultation@uss.co.uk or write to us at USS, Royal Liver Building, Liverpool L3 IPY.