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STATUTORY RULES OF NORTHERN IRELAND


2006 No. 123

POLICE

The Police Service of Northern Ireland Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2006

  Made 6th March 2006 
  To be laid before Parliament
  Coming into operation 1st April 2006 

The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 25 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998[1], read with Articles 14 and 15 of the Superannuation (Northern Ireland) Order 1972[2]. In accordance with section 25(8) of that Act he has consulted the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Police Association. In accordance with section 62(3) of the Police Act 1996[3] he has consulted the Police Negotiating Board for the United Kingdom. In accordance with section 72(2A) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 he has obtained the consent of Treasury.

Citation and commencement
     1. —(1) These regulations may be cited as the Police Service of Northern Ireland Pensions (Amendment) Regulations 2006.

    (2) These regulations come into operation on 1st April 2006 but regulation 2, in so far as it relates to paragraphs 4 to 9 of Schedule 1, and regulations 4 and 5 have effect from 1st July 1992.

Amendment of the Royal Ulster Constabulary Pensions Regulations 1988
    
2. The Royal Ulster Constabulary Pensions Regulations 1988[4] are amended in accordance with Schedule 1 to these Regulations.

Amendment of the Royal Ulster Constabulary Pensions (Purchase of Increased Benefits) Regulations 1988
     3. The Royal Ulster Constabulary Pensions (Purchase of Increased Benefits) Regulations 1988[5] are amended in accordance with Schedule 2 to these Regulations.

Interest on late payments
     4. Where all or part of a sum—

the Board shall pay the amount or additional amount payable together with interest from the date that payment was due calculated at the rate of 5 per cent per year, compounded with yearly rests.

Commutation of late payments
    
5. Any notice of commutation under regulation B7 of the Royal Ulster Constabulary Pensions Regulations 1988 in respect of a sum which becomes payable—

shall be given within six months of the date on which these Regulations come into operation.


Peter Hain
One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State

Northern Ireland Office
28th February 2006



We consent to the making of these Regulations


Vernon Coaker

Dave Watts
Two of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury

6th March 2006



SCHEDULE 1
Regulation 2


AMENDMENTS OF THE ROYAL ULSTER CONSTABULARY PENSIONS REGULATIONS 1988


     6. In regulation A8(2) (apportionment of pensionable service reckonable by reason of service of employment before or after a particular date for the purposes of calculating awards to or in respect of a member) after the words "a member" there are inserted the words "or for the purposes of regulation G6".

     7. In regulation B1(3) after sub-paragraph (b) there is inserted—

     8. —(1) Regulation G6 (payments by women members to enhance widowers' awards) is amended as follows.

    (2) In paragraph (1) —

    (3) At the end of paragraph (3) there are inserted the words—

    (4) For paragraph (4) there is substituted—

    (5) At the beginning of paragraph (5) there are inserted the words "In a case where the material date is the date given by paragraph (3)(a) or (b)".

    (6) In paragraphs (7)(b), (10)(b) and (14) for the word "service" there are substituted the words "pensionable service".

    (7) At the beginning of paragraph (13)(a) there are inserted the words "except where the payments are made in pursuance of an election for which the material date is that given by paragraph (3)(c) or (d)."

    (8) After paragraph (13) there is inserted—

    (9) In paragraph (15) after the words "pensionable service", in both places where they occur, there are inserted the words "reckonable by reason of service or employment".

    (10) In the Table in paragraph (18) —

     9. For Parts I and II of Schedule B there is substituted—



Ill-health pensions

     10. —(1) Part III of Schedule B (member's ill-health pension) is amended as follows.

    (2) In paragraph 1 for the words "shall be determined" onwards there are substituted the words—

    (3) After paragraph 4 there is inserted—

    (4) The provisions of paragraph 5 are to become sub-paragraph (1) of that paragraph and after the words "paragraph 3 or 4" there are inserted the words "or the formula in paragraph 4A or 4B".

    (5) After that sub-paragraph there is inserted—

    (6) After paragraph 5 there is inserted—

Injury awards

     11. —(1) Part V of Schedule B (member's injury award) is amended as follows.

    (2) In paragraph 1 for the words from "and shall be" onwards there are substituted the words—

    (3) After paragraph 1 there is inserted—

    (4) In paragraph 2 for the words from "shall be of the amount" to the end of that paragraph there are substituted the words—

    (5) After paragraph 2 there is inserted—

    (6) In paragraph 3(1) at the end insert "calculated by reference to this Schedule".

    (7) After paragraph 6 there is inserted—

Deferred pensions

     12. —(1) In Part VI of Schedule B for paragraph 1A there is substituted—

    (2) Paragraph 7 of Part I of Schedule J (part-time service) is omitted.

Entitlements by reference to pensionable service

     13. —(1) Paragraph 6 of Part IV of Schedule J (part-time service) is amended as follows.

    (2) After sub-paragraph (1) there is inserted—

    (3) The words "Subject to sub-paragraph (1A)," are inserted at the beginning of sub-paragraph (2).

    (4) After sub-paragraph (2) there is inserted—

     14. —(1) Paragraph 4 of Part VI of Schedule J (part-time service) is amended as follows.

    (2) After sub-paragraph (2) there is inserted—



SCHEDULE 2
Regulation 3


AMENDMENTS OF THE ROYAL ULSTER CONSTABULARY (PURCHASE OF INCREASED BENEFITS) REGULATIONS 1988


     15. In regulation 7—

     16. After regulation 7 there is inserted—

     17. In regulation 8(1)(a) after the word "or" there are inserted the words "failed to pay the whole or part of a lump sum payment on those grounds under that regulation, or".

     18. In paragraph 1(2) of the Schedule (lump sum payments) after the definition of "his age" there is inserted—

     19. In paragraph 2 of the Schedule (payment of periodical contributions), after sub-paragraph (2) there is inserted—

     20. After paragraph 3 of the Schedule there is inserted—



EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)


These Regulations amend the Royal Ulster Constabulary Pensions Regulations 1988 and the Royal Ulster Constabulary Pensions (Purchase of Increased Benefits) Regulations 1988. The amendments include provision for part-time members' pension benefits to be calculated as if they had been full-time members, and then pro-rated for periods of part-time service. This replaces the previous basis of calculation under which part-time working counted as pensionable service on the basis of the actual hours served. This disadvantaged part-time members because the reckonable service is accrued at a faster rate after 20 reckonable years.

Regulation 1 provides that the amendments in relation to ordinary and short service pensions, ill-health pensions, injury awards, deferred pensions and dependants' pensions are backdated to 1st July 1992, the date on which part-time service was introduced. Retrospective effect is permitted by Articles 14 and 15 of the Superannuation (Northern Ireland) Order 1972.

Regulation 2 and Schedule 1 make extensive amendments to the Royal Ulster Constabulary Pensions Regulations 1988. Paragraph 1 amends regulation A8 so as to enable pensionable service to be apportioned for the purposes of regulation G6. Paragraph 2 amends regulation B1(3) so as to entitle senior officers who retire at the end of fixed term appointments to qualify for a pension and to so qualify without the terms having been extended or an extension having been refused.

Paragraph 3 extensively amends regulation G6 so as to enable payments to be made by women members to enhance widowers' awards in cases where members with service before 17th May 1990 were not able to elect to make such payments under the regulation because they were not paying contributions throughout the period of 3 months beginning on 1st February 1996 and did not resume paying them within two years of ceasing to do so. Following the amendment such elections may be made within the period of 3 months beginning with the date on which these Regulations come into operation if the woman's contributions became payable again on or before that date, or, if they became payable again on a later date, within the period of 3 months of that date.

Regulation 2 and Schedule 1 also make provision for the entitlement of part-time members to various awards to be calculated on the new basis described above. The position of members is protected against the possibility that their entitlement to an ill-health pension (in the case of serving and former members) or an injury award (in the case of former members only) might be less than it would have been before these Regulations were made.

Regulation 3 and Schedule 2 provide that payments by part-time members who purchase increased benefits (either through a lump sum or periodical payments) will be up-rated, unless they elect otherwise. Previously part-time members effectively paid lower contributions than full-time members for an entitlement to the same level of benefit.

Regulation 4 provides for interest to be payable on entitlements which arise under the back-dating provisions of these Regulations.

Regulation 5 imposes a limit on the time within which a person entitled to a sum under the back-dating provisions of these Regulations may commute that for a lump sum payment.


Notes:

[1] 1998 c. 32; section 25 is amended by section 78(1) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 and section 24(2) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2003back

[2] S.I. 1972/1073 (N.I. 10)back

[3] 1996 c.16back

[4] S.R. 1988 No. 374; relevant regulations are S.R. 1990 No. 411 and S.R. 1997 No. 259back

[5] S.R. 1988 No. 379; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1990 No. 411back

[6] S.R. 2005 No. 547back

[7] S.R. 1993 No. 249back

[8] 1988 c.1back



ISBN 0 337 96426 2


 © Crown copyright 2006

Prepared 24 March 2006


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URL: http://www.bailii.org/nie/legis/num_reg/2006/20060123.html