The Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005

[F1 Sanctions for avoidance of employer debt etc N.I.

F1 Arts. 54A, 54B and cross-heading inserted (1.10.2021) by Pension Schemes Act 2021 (c. 1), s. 131(2)(b), Sch. 8 para. 6(1); S.R. 2021/271, art. 2(3)(d) (with art. 3(1)(4))

Offence of avoidance of employer debt N.I.

54A— (1) This Article applies in relation to an occupational pension scheme other than— N.I.

(a) a money purchase scheme, or

(b) a prescribed scheme or a scheme of a prescribed description.

(2) A person commits an offence only if—

(a) the person does an act or engages in a course of conduct that—

(i) prevents the recovery of the whole or any part of a debt which is due from the employer in relation to the scheme under Article 75 of the 1995 Order (deficiencies in the scheme assets),

(ii) prevents such a debt becoming due,

(iii) compromises or otherwise settles such a debt, or

(iv) reduces the amount of such a debt which would otherwise become due,

(b) the person intended the act or course of conduct to have such an effect, and

(c) the person did not have a reasonable excuse for doing the act or engaging in the course of conduct.

(3) A reference in this Article to an act or course of conduct includes a failure to act.

(4) This Article does not apply to a person if the act done, or course of conduct engaged in, by the person is in accordance with the person's functions as an insolvency practitioner in relation to another person.

(5) For the purposes of this Article a reference to a debt due under Article 75 of the 1995 Order includes a contingent debt under that Article.

(6) Accordingly, in the case of such a contingent debt, the reference in paragraph (2)(a) to preventing a debt becoming due is to be read as including a reference to preventing the occurrence of any of the events specified in Article 75(4C)(a) or (b) of the 1995 Order upon which the debt is contingent.

(7) A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (2) is liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years or a fine, or both.

(8) Proceedings for an offence under paragraph (2) may be instituted only—

(a) by the Regulator or the Department, or

(b) by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.

(9) For the purposes of this Article and Articles 54B to 54D “insolvency practitioner”, in relation to a person, means—

(a) a person acting as an insolvency practitioner, in relation to that person, in accordance with Article 3 of the Insolvency Order, or

(b) an insolvency practitioner within the meaning of Article 105(9)(b) (persons of a prescribed description).

Offence of conduct risking accrued scheme benefits N.I.

54B— (1) This Article applies in relation to an occupational pension scheme other than— N.I.

(a) a money purchase scheme, or

(b) a prescribed scheme or a scheme of a prescribed description.

(2) A person commits an offence only if—

(a) the person does an act or engages in a course of conduct that detrimentally affects in a material way the likelihood of accrued scheme benefits being received (whether the benefits are to be received as benefits under the scheme or otherwise),

(b) the person knew or ought to have known that the act or course of conduct would have that effect, and

(c) the person did not have a reasonable excuse for doing the act or engaging in the course of conduct.

(3) A reference in this Article to an act or a course of conduct includes a failure to act.

(4) A reference in this Article to accrued scheme benefits being received is a reference to benefits the rights to which have accrued by the relevant time being received by, or in respect of, the persons who were members of the scheme before that time.

(5) In this Article “the relevant time” means—

(a) in the case of an act, the time of the act,

(b) in the case of a failure to act—

(i) the time when the failure occurred, or

(ii) where the failure continued for a period of time, the end of that period, or

(c) in the case of a course of conduct, the time when the course of conduct ended.

(6) A reference in this Article to rights which have accrued is to be read in accordance with Article 67A(6) and (7) of the 1995 Order (reading any reference in those paragraphs to a subsisting right as a reference to a right which has accrued).

(7) For the purposes of this Article the benefits that may be received under the following provisions are to be disregarded—

(a) Chapter 3 of Part 3 (the Board of the Pension Protection Fund: pension protection), and

(b) section 286 of the Pensions Act 2004 (the financial assistance scheme for members of certain pension schemes).

(8) This Article does not apply to a person if the act done, or course of conduct engaged in, by the person is in accordance with the person's functions as an insolvency practitioner in relation to another person (see Article 54A(9)).

(9) A person guilty of an offence under paragraph (2) is liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years or a fine, or both.

(10) Proceedings for an offence under paragraph (2) may be instituted only—

(a) by the Regulator or the Department, or

(b) by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.]