The Occupational Pension Schemes (Contracting-out) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Suspension and forfeiture of guaranteed minimum pensions

61.—(1) For the purposes of section 17(2) of the Act (suspension and forfeiture of guaranteed minimum pension) the circumstances in which a scheme may provide for an earner’s or an earner’s widow’s or widower’s guaranteed minimum pension to be suspended are—

(a) that the pensioner is, in the opinion of the trustees of the scheme, unable to act by reason of mental disorder or otherwise and there is provision in the scheme for amounts equivalent to the guaranteed minimum pension to be paid or applied, while the pensioner is so unable, for the maintenance of the pensioner or, at the discretion of the trustees, of the pensioner together with his dependants or of his dependants only, and to the extent that they are not so applied, to be held for the pensioner until he is again able to act or, as the case may be, for his estate;

(b) that the pensioner is in prison or detained in legal custody, and there is provision in the scheme for amounts equivalent to the guaranteed minimum pension to be paid or applied during such circumstances for the maintenance of such one or more of the pensioner’s dependants as the trustees of the scheme may in their discretion determine, and

(c) that the earner is re-employed by the employer who had previously employed him in contracted-out employment in respect of which the guaranteed minimum pension became payable or in any other employment to which the scheme paying the guaranteed minimum pension applies and there is provision in the scheme for the guaranteed minimum pension which becomes payable when the suspension is lifted to be increased in accordance with section 11(1) of the Act.

(2) For the purposes of section 17(2) of the Act the circumstances in which a scheme may provide for an earner’s or an earner’s widow’s or widower’s guaranteed minimum pension (whether current or prospective) to be forfeited are—

(a) that the person entitled to that pension has been convicted of—

(i) an offence of treason, or

(ii) one or more offences under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989(1) for which he has been sentenced on the same occasion to a term of imprisonment of, or to two or more consecutive terms amounting in the aggregate to, at least 10 years;

(b) in the case of a widow’s or widower’s guaranteed minimum pension, that the earner by reference to whose contracted-out employment that pension is payable has been convicted of an offence of treason, or has been convicted of offences and has been sentenced to terms of imprisonment as set out in sub-paragraph (a)(ii);

(c) in the case of any payment of guaranteed minimum pension for which a claim has not been made, that a period of at least 6 years has elapsed from the date on which that payment became due.

(1)

1911 c. 28; 1920 c. 75; 1939 c. 121; 1989 c. 6