PART 2SIMPLIFICATION ETC.
State pensions etc.
F281Consolidation of additional pension
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F182Effect of entitlement to guaranteed minimum pension
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I183Additional State Pension etc.: minor and consequential amendments
Schedule 3 (Additional State Pension etc.: minor and consequential amendments) has effect.
84State pension credit: extension of assessed income period for those aged 75 or over
1
Section 9 of the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 (c. 14) (duration of assessed income period) is amended as set out in subsections (2) to (4).
2
For subsection (1) substitute—
1
An assessed income period shall (subject to the following subsections) be—
a
in the case of a claimant who is under the age of 75 on the day on which the relevant decision takes effect, the period of 5 years beginning with that day;
b
in the case of a claimant who is aged 75 or over on that day, an indefinite period beginning with that day.
3
In paragraph (b) of subsection (2), for the words from “may” to “years” substitute “
shall specify a period that is shorter than 5 years
”
.
4
After subsection (5) add—
6
Where—
a
an assessed income period is brought to an end by the expiry of a period of 5 years or more, and
b
the claimant is aged 80 or over at that time,
the assessed income period shall be treated as not ending at that time but, subject to subsection (4) and provision made under subsection (5), as continuing indefinitely.
5
The amendments made by subsections (2) and (3) apply only where the relevant decision (within the meaning given by section 6(5) of the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002) takes effect on or after 6th April 2009.
6
The subsection added by subsection (4) ceases to have effect on 6th April 2014.
I285Contracting-out: abolition of all protected rights
1
As from the contracting-out abolition date, pension schemes are not required to make special provision in relation to the protected rights of members.
2
Accordingly—
a
the provisions of the Pension Schemes Act within subsection (3) cease to have effect as from that date, and
b
sections 21A, 23A and 28A of the Pension Schemes Act (as inserted by paragraphs 9, 10 and 12 of Schedule 4 to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (c. 1)) are not to have any effect as from that date (in spite of section 13(4) of that Act of 2008).
3
The provisions of the Pension Schemes Act within this subsection are—
a
section 6 (protected rights and money purchase benefits),
b
section 22 (persons who may establish scheme),
c
section 23 (identification and valuation of protected rights),
d
section 26 (securing of liability for protected rights),
e
section 28 (suspension or forfeiture), and
f
section 29A (appropriate schemes: “blowing the whistle”).
4
In this section—
“the contracting-out abolition date” means the day appointed under section 21 of the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 for the coming into operation of section 13(1) of that Act (abolition of contracting-out for defined contribution pension schemes), and
“protected rights” has the same meaning as in the Pension Schemes Act (see section 6 of that Act).