The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014

CHAPTER 5 General

General prohibition on unauthorised payments

175.  Nothing in these Regulations requires or authorises the making of any payment, which, if made, would be an unauthorised payment for the purposes of Part 4 of the 2004 Act (pension schemes etc.) (see section 160(5) of that Act).

Calculation of periods of membership and service

176.—(1) For the purposes of this scheme, periods of membership and service are to be expressed in the first instance in whole years, and days and fractions of a day, and the initial aggregation of periods that require to be aggregated is done in the first instance by reference to periods so expressed.

This is subject to paragraph (3).

(2) If, when all periods of membership or service that require to be aggregated have been aggregated, there is any excess part day over the number of whole days, that excess is rounded up to a full day.

This is subject to paragraph (3).

(3) If membership or service is referred to in these Regulations as membership or service in years—

(a) the days referred to in paragraph (1); and

(b) the full days referred to in paragraph (2),

are converted into years by dividing the number of days in excess of the period of whole years by 365, and using the result to 4 decimal places.

(4) If a period of membership or service is less than one year, this regulation applies as if the words “whole years, and” were omitted from paragraph (1) and the words “in excess of the period of whole years” were omitted from paragraph (3).

Determination of questions

177.  Except as otherwise provided by these Regulations, any question arising under this scheme is to be determined by the scheme manager, whose decision on it is final.

Evidence of entitlement

178.—(1) The scheme manager may require any person who is receiving a pension under this scheme to provide evidence to establish—

(a) the person’s identity; and

(b) the person’s continuing entitlement to payment of any amount.

(2) If the person does not provide the required evidence, the scheme manager may withhold the whole or any part of any benefits payable under this scheme in respect of the person.

Provision of benefit information statements to members

179.—(1) The scheme manager must provide benefit information statements to each active member of this scheme in accordance with—

(a) section 14 of the Act (information about benefits); and

(b) directions made under that section (Department directions).

Information to be provided by employers

180.—(1) An employer of a member of this scheme must, by such date as the scheme manager may specify, provide the scheme manager with such information as the scheme manager may request—

(a) in connection with the scheme manager’s or scheme administrator’s functions in relation to this scheme; or

(b) to enable the scheme manager or Department to fulfil any obligations on the scheme manager or Department set out in or under legislation.

(2) An employer of a Fair Deal eligible person must provide to the scheme manager within 30 days after the end of each complete scheme year during which the employer is an employer of a Fair Deal eligible person—

(a) a list of the Fair Deal eligible persons employed by the employer, stating whether they are active members of this scheme or have opted-out of active scheme membership; and

(b) a statement confirming that the persons listed are eligible to be active members of this scheme.

(3) An employer of a Fair Deal eligible person (P) must inform the scheme manager promptly and in any event within 28 days—

(a) if P opts out of this scheme; or

(b) of any changes to P’s eligibility to be an active member of this scheme including where P ceases to be eligible to be an active member of this scheme.

(4) (a) An employer of a Fair Deal eligible person who is an active member of this scheme (M) must inform the scheme manager promptly and in any event within 28 days of any change in the matters set out in sub-paragraph (b) where the change affects M’s entitlement to benefits under or membership of this scheme.

(b) The matters are—

(i) M’s terms and conditions of employment including terms and conditions relating to any work done by M on functions or services other than the transferred services;

(ii) M’s working pattern or hours; and

(iii) M’s attendance at work, including any long term sick leave or other absences.

(5) An employer of a Fair Deal eligible person must inform the scheme manager immediately the employer becomes aware of any circumstance (including any actual or proposed change in the employer’s status) which is one which may give rise to the termination of the Admission Agreement.

Protections for the scheme in relation to employers of Fair Deal eligible persons

181.—(1) Where an employer of a Fair Deal eligible person increases the pensionable earnings of a member of this scheme employed by the employer in a way which the scheme manager has determined is one where the resulting costs to this scheme or any connected scheme are costs which should be paid by the employer, the employer must pay to this scheme on demand the amount of the increase in this or the connected scheme’s costs or liabilities resulting from the increase.

(2) Where a Fair Deal eligible person exercises a choice available to the person under this scheme which leads to an increase in the contributions that the person’s employer is required to pay under this scheme, the employer must pay to this scheme the amount of the increase in contributions.

(3) Where an employer of a Fair Deal eligible person has breached any of the provisions of this scheme or any provision of the Admission Agreement the employer must pay to this scheme on demand the sum, as determined by the scheme manager, which is required to compensate this scheme for—

(a) any increase in this scheme’s costs or liabilities resulting from the breach; and

(b) any resulting additional administration expenses incurred by or on behalf of this scheme.

(4) Where an employer of a Fair Deal eligible person has entered into a contractual agreement (whether in the Admission Agreement or otherwise) with the scheme manager or the Department to lodge a bond with the scheme, the scheme manager or Department may call on the bond in the circumstances provided for in the contractual agreement.

(5) Where a person has entered into an agreement (whether in the Admission Agreement or otherwise) to indemnify this scheme in respect of contributions and other payments due to this scheme from an employer of a Fair Deal eligible person, that person must pay to this scheme on demand by the scheme manager or the Department the sums due under the indemnity, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement.

Transitional provisions

182.  Schedule 2 has effect.