Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993

55 Alternative basis for revaluation of earnings factors for calculation of certain premiums

(1) In determining the amount of any accrued rights premium or pensioner’s rights premium payable where one or more of the five tax years ending with the tax year in which the relevant scheme ceases to be contracted-out is a relevant year in relation to the earner, the costs referred to in subsections (1) and (2) of section 54 shall be calculated as follows—

(a) any relevant earnings factor shall be taken to be that factor as increased by the last order under Article 23 of the [S.I. 1975/1503 (N.I. 15).] Social Security Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1975 or section 130 of the [1992 c. 8.] Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 to come into operation before those five tax years; and

(b) any relevant earnings factor derived from contributions in respect of any year (“the relevant contributions year”) shall be treated as increased by 12 per cent. compound for each of those five tax years, other than any of those years which—

(i) constitutes or begins before the relevant contributions year, or

(ii) begins after the final relevant year in relation to the earner.

(2) Subsection (1) shall not apply if the person liable for the premium elects in the prescribed manner that it should not and, notwithstanding section 54(5), it shall not apply in the determination of the amount of a transfer premium.

(3) Regulations may provide that subsections (1) and (2) shall have effect with prescribed modifications in relation to a scheme which has ceased to be contracted-out and, immediately before it so ceased, contained provisions authorised by section 12(2) and (3).

(4) Subject to subsection (5), where a limited revaluation premium is payable in respect of an earner, and the case is one in which his service in contracted-out employment is terminated in consequence of the relevant scheme ceasing to be contracted-out, the costs referred to in subsection (6) of section 54 shall be calculated as follows—

(a) any relevant earnings factor shall be taken to be that factor as increased by the last order under Article 23 of the [S.I. 1975/1503 (N.I. 15).] Social Security Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1975 or section 130 of the [1992 c. 8.] Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 to come into operation before the five tax years ending with the tax year in which the scheme ceases to be contracted-out; and

(b) any relevant earnings factor derived from earnings upon which primary Class 1 contributions have been paid or treated as paid in respect of any year (“the relevant contributions year”) shall be treated as increased by 12 per cent. compound for each of those five tax years, other than any of those years which constitutes or begins before the relevant contributions year.

(5) Subsection (4) shall not apply in any case where its application would result in the amount of the premium being greater than it would have been apart from that subsection.

(6) In subsection (1) “relevant year” and “final relevant year” have the same meanings as in section 12, and references to the earner shall be construed as references to the earner in respect of whom the premium in question has become payable.