The Electricity (Northern Ireland) Order 1992

4.—(1) Regulations may make provision for the purpose of securing that— N.I.

(a) no person to whom paragraph 5(1) or (2) applies is placed in any worse position by reason of—

(i) any winding up, in whole or in part, of a relevant scheme, that is to say, the scheme, a scheme provided by a successor company or any other scheme which is provided or amended in pursuance of the regulations; or

(ii) any amendment of a relevant scheme which results in benefits under that scheme being reduced, or contributions by employees being increased, and is made otherwise than in such circumstances as may be prescribed;

(b) no person to whom paragraph 5(1) applies is prevented from continuing to participate in or acquire pension rights under a relevant scheme by reason of any change of employer—

(i) which does not affect his continuity of employment and is made otherwise than in such circumstances as may be prescribed; and

(ii) in the case of which his new employer either is a participant in a relevant scheme or is wholly owned by one or more companies which or each of which is such a participant; and

(c) no person to whom paragraph 5(1) applies is placed in any worse position by reason of any change of employer which does not affect his continuity of employment but prevents him from continuing to participate in or acquire pension rights under a relevant scheme;

and the references in heads (a) and (c) to any worse position shall be construed, in relation to a person to whom paragraph 5(1) applies who, after the transfer date, ceases to participate in or acquire pension rights under the scheme, as references to a position which is any worse than his position immediately before he so ceases.

(2) Regulations under this paragraph may impose duties (whether as to the amendment of the scheme, the provision or amendment of other schemes, the purchase of annuities, the making of payments or otherwise) on persons who are or have been employers of persons to whom paragraph 5(1) or (2) applies; and duties so imposed on any person may include duties owed to persons of whom he is not and has not been an employer.

(3) Regulations under this paragraph may also provide for any dispute arising under them to be referred to arbitration.

(4) Paragraph 2(4) shall apply for the purposes of this paragraph as it applies for the purposes of that paragraph.