diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/CYKPlusParser/ChartRuleLookupManagerMemory.cpp b/moses/TranslationModel/CYKPlusParser/ChartRuleLookupManagerMemory.cpp
index b80d52353..e6fed90e5 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/CYKPlusParser/ChartRuleLookupManagerMemory.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/CYKPlusParser/ChartRuleLookupManagerMemory.cpp
@@ -154,12 +154,10 @@ void ChartRuleLookupManagerMemory::GetChartRuleCollection(
     const PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory &node = dottedRule.GetLastNode();
 
     // look up target sides
-    const TargetPhraseCollection *tpc = node.GetTargetPhraseCollection();
+    const TargetPhraseCollection &tpc = node.GetTargetPhraseCollection();
 
     // add the fully expanded rule (with lexical target side)
-    if (tpc != NULL) {
-      AddCompletedRule(dottedRule, *tpc, range, outColl);
-    }
+    AddCompletedRule(dottedRule, tpc, range, outColl);
   }
 
   dottedRuleCol.Clear(relEndPos+1);
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/CYKPlusParser/ChartRuleLookupManagerMemoryPerSentence.cpp b/moses/TranslationModel/CYKPlusParser/ChartRuleLookupManagerMemoryPerSentence.cpp
index 86cd8c19f..00d7f323c 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/CYKPlusParser/ChartRuleLookupManagerMemoryPerSentence.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/CYKPlusParser/ChartRuleLookupManagerMemoryPerSentence.cpp
@@ -153,12 +153,10 @@ void ChartRuleLookupManagerMemoryPerSentence::GetChartRuleCollection(
     const PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory &node = dottedRule.GetLastNode();
 
     // look up target sides
-    const TargetPhraseCollection *tpc = node.GetTargetPhraseCollection();
+    const TargetPhraseCollection &tpc = node.GetTargetPhraseCollection();
 
     // add the fully expanded rule (with lexical target side)
-    if (tpc != NULL) {
-      AddCompletedRule(dottedRule, *tpc, range, outColl);
-    }
+    AddCompletedRule(dottedRule, tpc, range, outColl);
   }
 
   dottedRuleCol.Clear(relEndPos+1);
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMemory.cpp b/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMemory.cpp
index 2caaa5aa9..97bb53e2b 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMemory.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryMemory.cpp
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ TargetPhraseCollection &PhraseDictionaryMemory::GetOrCreateTargetPhraseCollectio
   , const Word *sourceLHS)
 {
   PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory &currNode = GetOrCreateNode(source, target, sourceLHS);
-  return currNode.GetOrCreateTargetPhraseCollection();
+  return currNode.GetTargetPhraseCollection();
 }
 
 const TargetPhraseCollection *PhraseDictionaryMemory::GetTargetPhraseCollection(const Phrase& sourceOrig) const
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ const TargetPhraseCollection *PhraseDictionaryMemory::GetTargetPhraseCollection(
       return NULL;
   }
 
-  return currNode->GetTargetPhraseCollection();
+  return &currNode->GetTargetPhraseCollection();
 }
 
 PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory &PhraseDictionaryMemory::GetOrCreateNode(const Phrase &source
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory.h b/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory.h
index 563acdd17..c643bd5fc 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory.h
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory.h
@@ -133,10 +133,10 @@ public:
   const PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory *GetChild(const Word &sourceTerm) const;
   const PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory *GetChild(const Word &sourceNonTerm, const Word &targetNonTerm) const;
 
-  const TargetPhraseCollection *GetTargetPhraseCollection() const {
-    return &m_targetPhraseCollection;
+  const TargetPhraseCollection &GetTargetPhraseCollection() const {
+    return m_targetPhraseCollection;
   }
-  TargetPhraseCollection &GetOrCreateTargetPhraseCollection() {
+  TargetPhraseCollection &GetTargetPhraseCollection() {
     return m_targetPhraseCollection;
   }
 
diff --git a/moses/TranslationModel/RuleTable/PhraseDictionaryFuzzyMatch.cpp b/moses/TranslationModel/RuleTable/PhraseDictionaryFuzzyMatch.cpp
index bba5f9a85..a14d4922b 100644
--- a/moses/TranslationModel/RuleTable/PhraseDictionaryFuzzyMatch.cpp
+++ b/moses/TranslationModel/RuleTable/PhraseDictionaryFuzzyMatch.cpp
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ TargetPhraseCollection &PhraseDictionaryFuzzyMatch::GetOrCreateTargetPhraseColle
     , const Word *sourceLHS)
 {
   PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory &currNode = GetOrCreateNode(rootNode, source, target, sourceLHS);
-  return currNode.GetOrCreateTargetPhraseCollection();
+  return currNode.GetTargetPhraseCollection();
 }
 
 PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory &PhraseDictionaryFuzzyMatch::GetOrCreateNode(PhraseDictionaryNodeMemory &rootNode