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United Kingdom Statutory Instruments


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URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/legis/num_reg/2005/20053069.html

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STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS


2005 No. 3069

PENSIONS, ENGLAND AND WALES

The Local Government Pension Scheme (Civil Partnership) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2005

  Made 1st November 2005 
  Laid before Parliament 10th November 2005 
  Coming into force 5th December 2005 

These Regulations are made in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 7, 12 and 24 of the Superannuation Act 1972[1].

     In accordance with section 7(5) of that Act, the First Secretary of State has consulted (a) such associations of local authorities as appeared to him to be concerned; (b) the local authorities with whom consultation appeared to him to be desirable; and (c) such representatives of other persons likely to be affected by the Regulations as appeared to him to be appropriate.

     The First Secretary of State makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and application
     1. —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Local Government Pension Scheme (Civil Partnership) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2005.

    (2) These Regulations apply in relation to England and Wales[
2].

    (3) These Regulations shall come into force on 5th December 2005, but the amendments made by regulation 3 shall have effect from 1st April 1998.

The Local Government (Discretionary Payments) Regulations 1996
     2. —(1) The Local Government (Discretionary Payments) Regulations 1996[3] shall be amended in accordance with this regulation.

    (2) In regulation 37 (death benefits)—

    (3) In regulation 40(1) after "spouse" insert ", surviving civil partner".

    (4) After regulation 41(4) (retirement gratuities) insert—

    (5) After regulation 42(4) (redundancy gratuities) insert—

The Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 1997
     3. —(1) The Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 1997[4] shall be amended in accordance with this regulation.

    (2) In regulation 2(1) after "divorce" insert "and dissolution orders".

    (3) In regulation 9(1A) after "surviving spouse's" insert "or civil partner's".

    (4) In regulation 19(2)(b) after "surviving spouse's" insert "or civil partner's".

    (5) In regulation 21(4) after "surviving spouse's" insert ", civil partner's".

    (6) In regulation 33(1) after "spouse" insert ", civil partner".

    (7) For the headings immediately before regulation 40, and in regulation 40 (surviving spouse's short-term pension), for paragraphs (1) to (3), substitute—

    (8) In regulation 41 (surviving spouse's long-term pension)—

    (9) After regulation 42 (reduction of some surviving spouses' pensions) insert—

    (10) In the heading for regulation 43 and in regulation 43(1) after "surviving spouse's" insert "or civil partner's".

    (11) In regulation 45 (children's short-term pensions)—

    (12) In regulation 46(9)(a)(i) and 46(9)(b)(i) after "surviving spouse's" insert "or civil partner's".

    (13) In regulation 49 (commutation: small pensions)—

    (14) In regulation 88(2) after "spouse" insert ", civil partner".

    (15) In regulations 99(1)(b) and 100(2)(a) after "or surviving" insert " civil partner or".

    (16) In regulation 114(1) for "or widower's" substitute ", widower's or surviving civil partner's".

    (17) In regulation 115(5)(b) after "spouse" insert ", civil partner".

    (18) In regulation 118(5)(a) after "surviving spouse's" insert "or civil partner's".

    (19) In regulation 123(2)(c) after "surviving spouse's" insert "or civil partner's".

    (20) In regulation 124(1) for "surviving spouses, dependants and children" substitute "surviving spouses or civil partners, dependants and children".

    (21) In the definition of "guaranteed minimum" in Schedule 1 (interpretation) for "widows and widowers" substitute "widows, widowers and surviving civil partners".

    (22) In the heading to Schedule 1A after "divorce" insert "and dissolution orders".

    (23) In Schedule 4 (revenue restrictions)—

    (24) In Schedule 8 (councillor members)—

Local Government Pension Scheme (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1997
    
4. —(1) The Local Government Pension Scheme (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1997[5] shall be amended in accordance with this regulation.

    (2) After regulation 4 (deferred members and pensioners: general) insert—

    (3) In regulation 25(1) after "surviving spouses" insert "or civil partners".

The Local Government (Early Termination of Employment) (Discretionary Compensation) (England and Wales) Regulations 2000
    
5. —(1) The Local Government (Early Termination of Employment) (Discretionary Compensation) (England and Wales) Regulations 2000[6] shall be amended in accordance with this regulation.

    (2) In the heading immediately before regulation 20 after "SURVIVING SPOUSES" insert ", CIVIL PARTNERS".

    (3) In regulation 20(4) after "spouse" insert ", civil partner".

    (4) In regulation 21 (awards to surviving spouses)—

    (5) After regulation 21(6) (awards to surviving spouses) insert—

    (6) For regulation 21(7) substitute—

    (7) In regulation 22 (amount of surviving spouse's short-term and long-term compensation)—

    (8) In regulation 23(3) after "surviving spouse" insert "or civil partner".

    (9) In Schedule 1 (interpretation) in paragraph 1—



Signed by authority of the First Secretary of State


Phil Woolas
Minister of State Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

1st November 2005



EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)


The amendments in these Regulations provide survivor benefits for same sex partners of Local Government Pension Scheme members or eligible persons where the same sex partners have registered a civil partnership under the terms of the Civil Partnership Act 2004. Section 12 of the Superannuation Regulations 1972 provides that regulations made under section 7 of that Act may have retrospective effect: the changes made to the 1997 Regulations have effect from 1st April 1998. This retrospection, and the amendments to the Transitional Provisions Regulations, are necessary to apply the provisions to deferred or pensioner members who enter into a civil partnership having ceased employment before these Regulations come into force.

The Regulations amend—

    (1) The Local Government (Discretionary Payments) Regulations 1996 ("the 1996 Regulations" – amended by regulation 2);

    (2) The Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 1997 ("the 1997 Regulations" – amended by regulation 3);

    (3) The Local Government Pension Scheme (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1997 ("the Transitional Provisions Regulations" – amended by regulation 4); and

    (4) The Local Government (Early Termination of Employment) (Discretionary Compensation)(England and Wales) Regulations 2000 ("the 2000 Regulations" – amended by regulation 5).

The changes to the 1996 and 2000 Regulations provide that surviving civil partners will qualify for survivor benefits in the same way as spouses where a person ceases employment after 5th April 1988 and subsequently dies.

The changes to the 1997 Regulations and the Transitional Provisions Regulations are as follows—

In addition, the changes to the 1997 Regulations include minor amendments dealing with pension sharing on divorce and its application to the dissolution of a civil partnership.

Some bodies within the business, charity or voluntary sectors are employers within the Local Government Pension Scheme. There will be costs in public service pension schemes from extending survivor benefits to include civil partners. A Regulatory Impact Assessment was published alongside the Civil Partnership Act 2004, which assesses the impact of the Act on the business, charity and voluntary sectors, and outlines the cost implications to public service pension schemes. Accordingly, a separate Regulatory Impact Assessment was not produced for these Regulations. The final Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Civil Partnership Act 2004 has been placed in the library of each House of Parliament and can be viewed at
http://www.dti.gov.uk/access/ria/index.html#equality.


Notes:

[1] 1972 c. 11; section 12 was amended by section 10 of the Pensions (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1990 (c. 7).back

[2] The Secretary of State's functions under sections 7, 12 and 24 of the Superannuation Act 1972 in so far as they were exercisable in relation to Scotland were devolved to Scottish Ministers by section 63 of the Scotland Act 1998 (1998 c. 46) and article 2 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Scotland Act 1998 (Transfer of Functions to Scottish Ministers etc) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/1750).back

[3] S.I. 1996/1680; the relevant amending instrument is S.I 1997/1613.back

[4] S.I.1997/1612; the relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1999/1212, 2000/1164, 2001/1481, 2002/206, 2004/573 and 2004/3372.back

[5] S.I. 1997/1613 , to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.back

[6] S.I. 2000/1410; the relevant amending instruments are S.I 2001/3649, 2002/769, 2003/1027.back



ISBN 0 11 073576 5


 © Crown copyright 2005

Prepared 10 November 2005


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URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/legis/num_reg/2005/20053069.html