The Pension Schemes Act 2021 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 2021

Commencement of provisions

2.—(1) The following provisions of the Act come into operation on the day appointed by this Article.

(2) The day appointed for the coming into operation of paragraph 15(2) of Schedule 11 to the Act (administration charges), and section 129(b) in so far as it relates to it, for the purpose only of authorising the making of regulations is 29th September 2021, and for all other purposes is immediately before 1st October 2021.

(3) The day appointed for the coming into operation of the following provisions of the Act is 1st October 2021—

(a) paragraph 3 of Schedule 8 (reasonableness of issuing contribution notice) except—

(i) paragraph 3(1) in so far as it relates to paragraph 3(2), and

(ii) paragraph 3(2);

(b) paragraph 4 of Schedule 8 (determination of sum specified in a contribution notice);

(c) paragraph 5 of Schedule 8 (sanctions for failure to comply with a contribution notice);

(d) paragraph 6 of Schedule 8 (sanctions for avoidance of employer debt etc);

(e) paragraph 7 of Schedule 8 (duty to notify the Regulator of certain events);

(f) paragraph 10 of Schedule 8 (inspection of premises) except—

(i) paragraph 10(2)(a);

(ii) paragraph 10(2)(b)(ii), and

(iii) paragraph 10(1) in so far as it relates to the amendments excepted by heads (i) and (ii);

(g) paragraph 12 of Schedule 8 (provision of false or misleading information to Regulator) except for the following provisions of inserted Article 75A of the 2005 Order (financial penalty for providing false or misleading information to Regulator)—

(i) paragraph (2)(a)(iv), and

(ii) paragraph (2)(c)(v);

(h) paragraph 13 of Schedule 8 (provision of false or misleading information to trustees or managers);

(i) paragraph 14 of Schedule 8 (financial penalties);

(j) paragraph 15(3) of Schedule 11;

(k) section 117(a) (the Pensions Regulator: Northern Ireland) and paragraph 1 of Schedule 8 (amendments of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005) in so far as they relate to the provisions specified in sub-paragraphs (a) to (i), and

(l) section 129(b) (further provision relating to pension schemes: Northern Ireland) in so far as it relates to the provision specified in sub-paragraph (j).

(4) The day appointed for the coming into operation of the following provisions in Schedule 8 to the Act (minor and consequential amendments) is 1st October 2021—

(a) paragraph 15;

(b) paragraph 16 except in so far as it relates to the following provisions of Schedule 8—

(i) the reference in the amendment made by paragraph 21(3) to Part 2 of the Pension Schemes Act 2021;

(ii) paragraph 22(a), and

(iii) paragraph 26(2);

(c) paragraphs 17 to 20;

(d) paragraph 21 except for the reference in the amendment made by paragraph 21(3) to Part 2 of the Pension Schemes Act 2021;

(e) paragraph 22 except for paragraph 22(a);

(f) paragraphs 23 to 25, and

(g) paragraph 26 except for paragraph 26(2),

and section 117(b) of the Act in so far as it relates to the provisions specified in sub-paragraphs (a) to (g).

(5) The day appointed for the coming into operation of the following provisions of the Act for all remaining purposes is 1st October 2021—

(a) paragraph 2 of Schedule 8 (grounds for issuing an Article 34 contribution notice);

(b) paragraph 9 of Schedule 8 (interviews);

(c) paragraph 11 of Schedule 8 (fixed penalty notices and escalating penalty notices), and

(d) section 117(a) and paragraph 1 of Schedule 8 in so far as they relate to the provisions specified in sub-paragraphs (a) to (c).