The Health and Social Care (Pension Scheme) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008

Payment of Contributions N.I.

164.—(1) Contributions under this Part must be paid in respect of all periods of practitioner service—

(a) until the member completes 45 years' pensionable service, or

(b) where the notice required by regulation 139(3) has been properly received, until the member ceases practitioner service.

(2) Except if paragraph (3) applies, principal medical practitioners shall pay C1 contributions to the host Board.

(3) Principal dental practitioners shall pay C1 contributions in respect of pensionable earnings that relate to particular GDS arrangements to the employing authority that is a party to those GDS arrangements, and that employing authority is liable to pay the C3 contributions that are payable in respect of those pensionable earnings.

(4) If a principal medical practitioner is engaged under a contract of service or for services by an employing authority or is a partner or shareholder in an employing authority that is not an OOH provider, that authority shall—

(a) deduct C1 contributions from any pensionable earnings it pays to him; and

(b) if it is not also the host Board, pay those contributions to that Health and Social Services Board.

(5) Subject to paragraph (6), if a principal medical practitioner is—

(a) an employing authority which is a GMS practice or an APMS contractor; or

(b) a shareholder or partner in such an employing authority,

that employing authority must pay C3 contributions to the host Health and Social Services Board.

(6) If a principal medical practitioner is a shareholder or partner in more than one employing authority referred to in paragraph (5), each employing authority must pay C3 contributions on any pensionable earnings it pays to the practitioner or, as the case may be, on the practitioner's share of the partnership profits, to the host Board.

(7) If paragraph (4) applies (but paragraph (5) does not) and the employing authority referred to in that paragraph—

(a) is not the host Board, that authority must pay C3 contributions to the host Board;

(b) is the host Board, that Health and Social Services Board must pay C3 contributions to the Department in respect of any pensionable earnings it pays to him.

(8) If an assistant dental practitioner or an assistant medical practitioner (other than a locum practitioner) is engaged under a contract of service or for services by an employing authority, that authority shall—

(a) deduct C1 contributions from any pensionable earnings it pays to him; and

(b) in the case of an assistant medical practitioner, if it is not also the host Board, pay those contributions to that Health and Social Services Board.

(9) In the case of an assistant medical practitioner, if paragraph (8) applies and the employing authority referred to in that paragraph—

(a) is not the host Board, that authority shall pay C3 contributions to the host Board;

(b) is the host Board, that Health and Social Services Board shall pay C1 and C3 contributions to the Department in respect of any pensionable earnings it pays to him.

(10) A locum practitioner must pay C1 contributions to the host Board.

(11) If a locum practitioner is liable to pay contributions under paragraph (10) in respect of pensionable locum work he does for an employing authority which is not—

(a) the host Board;

(b) a GMS practice;

(c) an APMS contractor,

that employing authority must pay C3 contributions to the host Board.

(12) In the case of an assistant dental practitioner who—

(a) is a vocational trainee—

(i) the GDS provider who employs him shall deduct C1 contributions from any pensionable earnings the provider pays to him and shall pay those contributions to the appropriate employing authority; and

(ii) that employing authority is liable to pay the C3 contributions that are payable in respect of those pensionable earnings; or

(b) is not a vocational trainee, the employing authority with which he has an arrangement from which his pensionable earnings are derived is liable to pay the C3 contributions that are payable in respect of those pensionable earnings.

(13) If contributions are payable by a locum practitioner under paragraph (10) in respect of pensionable locum work carried out for an employing authority which is—

(a) a host Board;

(b) a GMS practice; or

(c) an APMS contractor,

the host Board shall pay C3 contributions in respect of such a practitioner.

(14) C1 contributions that are required to be paid to an employing authority by or in respect of a principal or assistant dental practitioner in accordance with this regulation shall be paid to that employing authority not later than the 7th day of the month following the month to which the earnings relate.

(15) It shall be a function of an employing authority—

(a) to which C1 contributions are paid in respect of a principal or assistant dental practitioner in accordance with this regulation;

(b) which is liable to pay C3 contributions in respect of any principal or assistant dental practitioner;

(c) to forward or pay those contributions to the Department not later than the 12th day after the date on which, by virtue of paragraph (14), it is due to receive the C1 contributions or, in the case of C3 contributions, the related C1 contributions.

(16) Contributions which are required to be paid to the host Board in accordance with this regulation must be paid to that Health and Social Services Board not later than the 7th day of the month following the month in which the earnings were paid.

(17) If, as regards a principal or assistant medical practitioner, an employing authority—

(a) is not the host Board, it shall be a function of that employing authority to provide the host Board with a record of any—

(i) pensionable earnings paid by it to a practitioner;

(ii) contributions deducted by it in accordance with paragraph (4) or (8),

not later than the 7th day of the month following the month in which the earnings were paid;

(b) is the host Board that has deducted contributions in accordance with paragraph (4) or (8) and is liable to pay C3 contributions in respect of any pensionable earnings it pays to a practitioner, it shall be a function of that Health and Social Services Board to maintain a record of—

(i) the matters referred to in paragraph (a)(i) and (ii); and

(ii) any contributions paid to it by the principal medical practitioner; and

(iii) any contributions paid to it by a locum practitioner.

(18) It shall be a function of the host Board to pay the contributions—

(a) paid to it by a principal medical practitioner, non-GP provider or locum practitioner;

(b) paid to it by another employing authority;

(c) it is liable to pay by virtue of paragraphs (7)(b) and (9)(b),

in accordance with the provisions of this regulation, to the Department not later than the 19th day of the month following the month in which the earnings were paid.

(19) Without prejudice to any other method of recovery, if in respect of C1 contributions—

(a) a principal dental practitioner, a principal medical practitioner, an assistant dental practitioner, an assistant medical practitioner or locum practitioner has failed to pay contributions; or

(b) an employing authority has failed to deduct such contributions,

in accordance with this paragraph, the Department may recover any sum that remains due in respect of those contributions by deduction from any payment by way of benefits to, or in respect of, the member entitled to them if—

(i) the member agrees to such a deduction; and

(ii) the deduction is to the member's advantage.

(20) For the purposes of this regulation—

(a) “C1 contributions” means contributions payable under regulation 160 by a practitioner under the Scheme;

(b) “C3 contributions” means contributions payable under regulation 162 by an employing authority in respect of a practitioner.