Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993

15 Discharge of liability where guaranteed minimum pensions secured by insurance policies or annuity contracts. N.I.

(1) A transaction to which this section applies discharges the trustees or managers of an occupational pension scheme from their liability to provide for or in respect of any person guaranteed minimum pensions—

(a) if it is carried out not earlier than the time when that person’s pensionable service terminates; and

(b) if and to the extent that it results in guaranteed minimum pensions for or in respect of that person being appropriately secured; and

(c) if and to the extent that the requirements set out in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of subsection (5) are satisfied.

(2) This section applies to the following transactions—

(a) the taking out of a policy of insurance or a number of such policies;

(b) the entry into an annuity contract or a number of such contracts;

(c) the transfer of the benefit of such a policy or policies or such a contract or contracts.

(3) In this section “appropriately secured” means secured by an appropriate policy of insurance or an appropriate annuity contract, or by more than one such policy or contract.

(4) A policy of insurance or annuity contract is appropriate for the purposes of this section if—

(a) the [F1 insurer] with which it is or was taken out or entered into—

(i) is, or was at the relevant time, carrying on F2 . . . long-term insurance business in the United Kingdom F3 ...; and

(ii) satisfies, or at the relevant time satisfied, prescribed requirements; and

(b) it may not be assigned or surrendered except on conditions which satisfy such requirements as may be prescribed; and

(c) it contains or is endorsed with terms whose effect is that the amount secured by it may not be commuted except on conditions which satisfy such requirements as may be prescribed; and

(d) it satisfies such other requirements as may be prescribed.

(5) The requirements referred to in subsection (1) are—

(a) that the arrangement for securing the amount by means of the policy or contract was made—

(i) at the written request of the earner or, if the earner has died, of the earner’s [F4 widow, widower or surviving civil partner]; or

(ii) with the consent of the earner or the [F4 widow, widower or surviving civil partner] given in writing in a prescribed form;

(b) that—

(i) the case is one such as is mentioned in section 92(2); and

(ii) the policy or contract only secures guaranteed minimum pensions;

(c) that—

(i) the case is not one such as is mentioned in section 92(2); and

(ii) such conditions as may be prescribed are satisfied.

(6) In subsection (4)(a), “the relevant time” means the time when the policy of insurance was taken out or the annuity contract was entered into or, as the case may be, when the benefit of the policy or contract was transferred.

F5 (7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 15(4)(a) substituted (1.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3649, arts. 1, 129(2)(a)

F2 Word in s. 15(4)(a)(i) repealed (1.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3649, arts. 1, 129(2)(b)

F3 Words in s. 15(4)(a)(i) omitted (31.12.2020) by virtue of The Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Amendment etc.) (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/193), regs. 1, 2(3); 2020 c. 1, Sch. 5 para. 1(1)

F4 Words in s. 15(5)(a)(i)(ii) substituted (5.12.2005) by The Civil Partnership (Contracted-out Occupational and Appropriate Personal Pension Schemes) (Surviving Civil Partners) Order (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005/433), art. 1(3), Sch. 1 para. 6

F5 S. 15(7) repealed (1.12.2001) by S.I. 2001/3649, arts. 1, 129(3)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 15 modified (1.4.2009) by Local Government Pension Scheme (Administration) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (S.R. 2009/33), regs. 1, 74(1)