2007 No. 297

PENSIONS

The Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007

Made

Coming into operation

The Department for Social Development makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 56(1), (2)(b) and (3) and 287(2) of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 20051.

Citation and commencement1

These Regulations may be cited as the Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007 and shall come into operation on 4th July 2007.

Amendment of the Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Regulations2

After regulation 5 of the Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 20052 (provision of information) insert—

The Office for National Statistics - provision of information5A

1

The Office for National Statistics3—

a

shall be provided with such—

i

information recorded in the register,

ii

extracts from the register, or

iii

copies of the register or of extracts from it,

as are in its opinion necessary for the purposes of producing pension statistics, and

b

may inspect—

i

the register,

ii

extracts from the register, or

iii

copies of the register or of extracts from it,

when in its opinion, such inspection is necessary for the purposes of producing pension statistics.

2

When information is disclosed in accordance with paragraph (1), Article 77(2) of the 2005 Order (restricted information – prohibition on disclosure) shall apply as if in sub-paragraph (b) after “Articles 66(9) and 78 to 83” there were inserted “, and regulations made under Article 56,”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 7th June 2007

(L.S.)John O’NeillA senior officer of the Department for Social Development
EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 to provide that information contained in the register of occupational pension schemes and personal pension schemes, compiled and maintained by the Pensions Regulator under section 59 of the Pensions Act 2004 (c. 35) shall be provided to, or made available for inspection by, the Office for National Statistics for the purposes of producing pension statistics.

These Regulations also prescribe that Article 77 of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (“the Order”) is modified so that it does not apply to such a disclosure of information.

As these Regulations make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in regulations made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to Great Britain, the requirement to consult under Article 289(1) of the Order does not apply by virtue of paragraph (2)(e) of that Article.