The Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005

Pension liberation: interpretation

14.—(1) In this Article and Articles 15 to 17—

(a) “pension scheme” means an occupational pension scheme or a personal pension scheme,

(b) “deposit-taker” has the meaning given by paragraphs (8A) and (8B) of Article 49 of the 1995 Order, except that, for the purposes of this definition, paragraph (8A)(c) of that Article has effect with the omission of the words from “or” to the end,

(c) references to money liberated from a pension scheme are to be read in accordance with paragraph (2),

(d) “liberated member”, in relation to money liberated from a pension scheme, means the member of the pension scheme who is referred to in paragraph (2)(a), and

(e) “restraining order” means a restraining order under Article 16.

(2) Money is to be taken to have been liberated from a pension scheme if—

(a) the money directly or indirectly represents an amount that, in respect of accrued rights of a member of a pension scheme, has been transferred out of the scheme in pursuance of—

(i) a relevant statutory provision, or

(ii) a provision of the applicable rules, other than a relevant statutory provision,

(b) the trustees or managers of the scheme transferred the amount out of the scheme on the basis that a third party (“the liberator”) would secure that the amount was used in an authorised way,

(c) the amount has not been used in an authorised way, and

(d) the liberator has not secured, and is not likely to secure, that the amount will be used in an authorised way.

(3) The following are “relevant statutory provisions” for the purposes of paragraph (2)—

(a) section 90(1)(a), (aa) or (b) of the Pension Schemes Act (right to cash equivalent under Chapter 4 of Part IV of that Act);

(b) section 97AB(1)(a) of that Act (right to cash transfer sum under Chapter 5 of Part IV of that Act);

(c) section 97F(1) of that Act (right to cash equivalent of pension credit benefit).

(4) In paragraph (2) “authorised way” means—

(a) where the amount concerned is transferred out of the scheme in pursuance of a provision mentioned in paragraph (3)(a), a way specified in subsection (2) or, as the case may be, subsection (3) of section 91 of the Pension Schemes Act;

(b) where that amount is transferred out in pursuance of the provision mentioned in paragraph (3)(b), a way specified in section 97AE(2) of that Act;

(c) where that amount is transferred out in pursuance of the provision mentioned in paragraph (3)(c), a way specified in subsection (2) or, as the case may be, subsection (3) of section 97F of that Act;

(d) where that amount is transferred out in pursuance of a provision of the kind mentioned in paragraph (2)(a)(ii), a way that is authorised by the applicable rules for amounts transferred out in pursuance of that provision.

(5) In this Article “the applicable rules” has the same meaning as, in the case of the pension scheme concerned, that expression has in section 90 of the Pension Schemes Act.