PART 4Scheme membership

CHAPTER 1Eligibility for active membership

Qualifying judicial office13

For the purpose of these Regulations, a person who is appointed to an office specified in an order made under paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 (holders of judicial office) to the Act is in qualifying judicial office.

Eligible persons14

1

For the purposes of this Part, an eligible person is a person who is eligible to be an active member of this scheme.

2

A person who begins service in a qualifying judicial office (P) becomes an eligible person in relation to that service unless paragraph (3) or (4) applies and subject to paragraphs (5) and (6).

3

This paragraph applies if the terms of P's office exclude them from being an active member of this scheme.

4

This paragraph applies if, in relation to service in that office—

a

P is a protected member of an existing scheme;

b

P has a partnership pension account; or

c

P is a member of any other pension scheme and P's employer pays contributions to that scheme in respect of P.

5

P is not eligible to be a member of this scheme if—

a

P is in a fee-paid office;

b

P was in a fee-paid office on 31st March 2012;

c

P was aged 55 years or over on 1st April 2012; and

d

P does not exercise the option to begin pensionable service under this scheme on 1st April 2015 in the form and by the date determined by the scheme manager.

6

P is not eligible to be a member of this scheme until a date during the period beginning with 31st May 2015 and ending with 31st January 2022 as determined by the scheme manager by reference to a table published for the purposes of paragraph 3 of Schedule 2 if—

a

P is in a fee-paid office;

b

P was in a fee-paid office on 31st March 2012;

c

P was aged between 51 years and 6 months and 55 years on 1st April 2012; and

d

P does not exercise the option to begin pensionable service under this scheme on 1st April 2015 in the form and by the date determined by the scheme manager.

Service in 2 or more qualifying judicial offices15

If a person is in service in 2 or more qualifying judicial offices, regulation 14 applies separately in relation to each office.