The podcat's back after a summer break and this episode is a cracker.

In a packed conversation, Tom and Pensions Minister Guy Opperman cover just about every current pension topic you can think of.

They open with a discussion on the upcoming pensions awareness season, and the recent concerns about it running at a time when the cost of living crisis is hitting people hard. The minister explains why he firmly believes now is the right time to encourage pensions engagement, despite objections to the contrary.

Guy is on energetic and passionate form and is not shy with his praise and his criticism. Here's a taster of his thoughts on the mid-life MOT, and the industry's lacklustre (in his view) response:

"The industry is really quick to criticise… when they don’t think Government is doing a good job.

"But when Government actually says we will pay you taxpayers' money to show us how to do this even better, and then roll out a product which they will then probably get the benefit of… I’m pissed off they don’t man up and sort it out."

Guy also airs his views on regulators and the inner workings of government departments, giving an insider's perspective on what it takes to make and change government policy.

You'll find this episode and our back catalogue wherever you normally get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google and more. You can also catch them here in Analyser.

Thanks for listening.