The Health and Personal Social Services (Superannuation) (Additional Voluntary Contributions, Injury Benefits and Compensation for Premature Retirement) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008

Type Ni-Statutory-Rule
Publication 2008-08-19
State In force
Jurisdiction Northern Ireland
Department Government Printer for Northern Ireland
PDF Download
articles Not indexed
Reform history JSON API

Made: 19th August 2008

Coming into operation: 9th September 2008

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 12 and 14 and 19 (1), (3) and (4) of, and Schedule 3 to the Superannuation (Northern Ireland) Order 1972[^f00001], with the consent of the Department of Finance and Personnel.

In accordance with Article 12(4) of that Order, the Department has consulted with representatives of persons likely to be affected by these Regulations, as appeared to the Department to be appropriate.

Citation, commencement and effect

1

Amendments to the Health and Personal Social Services (Superannuation) (Additional Voluntary Contributions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

2

  • “the 2008 Regulations” means the Health and Social Care (Pension Scheme) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008[^f00003];
  • “child” means a person who qualifies for— a child’s allowance under regulation 33 or 34 to 38 of the 1995 Regulations; or a child’s pension under regulation 74 or 201 of the 2008 Regulations;
  • “date of retirement” means the date on which benefits become payable to the participator under— regulation 12 to 16 or 49 of the 1995 Regulations; or regulation 45, 48, 49, 52, 54, 55, 176, 179, 180, 182 or 184 of the 2008 Regulations;
  • “dependant” means— a surviving spouse of a participator (providing the marriage was not, prior to 1st April 1995, subject to an order of judicial separation); any surviving child of a participator; or any person in whose favour a participator has made an election under— regulation 39 of the 1995 Regulations; or regulation 62 or 189 of the 2008 Regulations; a surviving civil partner or surviving nominated partner;
  • “HPSS Superannuation Scheme” means the Health and Social Care Superannuation Scheme, the rules of which are set out in the 1995 Regulations and the 2008 Regulations, as the case may be;
  • “normal benefit age”, in relation to the AVC scheme, means— in the case of a person whose pension arrangements are governed by the 1995 Regulations, the age of 60; in any other case, the age of 65;
  • “superannuable service” is to be construed in accordance with whichever of the following is applicable— regulation 4 of the 1995 Regulations; regulation 7 or 139 of the 2008 Regulations; and where those Regulations apply, has the same meaning as “pensionable service;”;
  • “retirement” is to be construed in accordance with whichever of the following is applicable— the 1995 Regulations; the 2008 Regulations;
  • “authorised fund” means a fund managed by— an authorised provider selected by the Department for the purposes of these Regulations; or any successor, transmittee or assignee of any person in paragraph (a) who is— an authorised provider; and approved by the Department;

(6A) In the case of a person who is governed by the 2008 Regulations, subject to paragraph (5)(b) and regulation 4(3)— (a) if contributions are paid for the purposes of paragraph (1)(b)— (i) until the contributor reaches their 65th birthday; and (ii) on reaching their 65th birthday they continue to be in pensionable employment, the contributor may elect for further contributions to be paid until they reach their 66th birthday; and (b) a person to whom paragraph (a) applies may continue to elect annually for further contributions to be paid provided they continue to be in pensionable employment.

(3A) In this regulation— - “employer” has the same meaning as “employing authority” in the 1995 Regulations or the 2008 Regulations (as the case may be) and, where the context requires, includes a host Health and Social Services Board (as defined in the relevant Regulations); and - “salary” includes superannuable pay, superannuable earnings, pensionable pay or pensionable earnings (within the meaning of the 1995 Regulations or the 2008 Regulations (as the case may be)).

(aa) receives payment of benefits under regulations 45, 48, 49, 51, 53, 55, 176, 179, 180, 183, or 185 of the 2008 Regulations;

(4) If the Department is required under paragraph (1) to make a transfer payment in circumstances where a transfer payment in respect of an eligible person is also provided and used in accordance with— (a) regulation 53 of the 1995 Regulations (Member’s right to transfer or buy-out); or (b) regulation 93 or 220 of the 2008 Regulations (Introduction: rights to transfer value payment), the Department must do so in accordance with the time limits specified in whichever of the following is applicable— (i) regulation 56 of the 1995 Regulations; (ii) regulation 96 or 223 of the 2008 Regulations, as if any reference in the regulations specified in head (i) or (ii) to an application were a reference to the notice referred to in paragraph (1).

(ii) to whom regulation 58 of the 1995 Regulations or regulation 106 or 233 of the 2008 Regulations applies.

(b) any dependant’s pension which is payable under it is payable only on the death of the participator after his retirement and is payable to the dependant for life, except that— (i) in the case of a dependant who is a child to whom regulations 32 to 38 of the 1995 Regulations (Child Allowance) applies, it shall cease to be payable when that person ceases to be a dependent child within the meaning of those Regulations; or (ii) in the case of a dependant who is a child to whom regulation 75 or 202 of the 2008 Regulations (Meaning of dependant child) applies, it shall cease to be payable when that person ceases to be a dependent child within the meaning of those Regulations; and;

(b) and has applied for a refund of contributions under— (i) regulation 50 of the 1995 Regulations (Refund of contributions); or (ii) regulation 44 or 175 of the 2008 Regulations (Repayment of contributions),

(10) In the case of a participator to whom any of the following provisions apply— (a) regulation 13(7), 13A(7) or 49(5) of the 1995 Regulations (Ill health pensions and preserved pensions); (b) regulation 59 or 186 of the 2008 Regulations (Option for members in serious ill-health to exchange whole pension for lump sum), the Department may realise the investments made under these Regulations without purchasing an annuity and, in that event, the proceeds shall be payable to the participator as a lump sum.

(22) (1) Benefits payable under these Regulations shall be paid net of any tax due under the 2004 Act. (2) For the purposes of the 2004 Act, the administrator of the AVC scheme shall be the Department.

or regulation 75 or 202 of the 2008 Regulations (Meaning of dependant child)

or regulation 45, 47, 49, 52, 54, 55, 176, 179, 180, 182 or 184 of the 2008 Regulations (Normal retirement pensions, actuarially reduced pensions, ill health and early retirement pensions)

(b) the total benefits payable would be treated as a trivial amount under paragraph 5(1)(b) of Schedule 2A to the 1995 Regulations or regulation 128 or 252 of the 2008 Regulations.

(d) shall nominate the whole of the lump sum to a nominee and, in the case of a notice that specifies more than one person, shall also specify the percentage of the lump sum to be paid to each such person,

(5) A notice given under sub-paragraph (3) must specify one or more persons who may be— (a) an individual; (b) a body corporate; (c) an unincorporated body; (d) the member’s personal representatives, but must not specify one or more persons referred to in sub-subparagraph (a) together with a body referred to in either of sub-subparagraph (b) or (c).

or regulation 129 or 253 of the 2008 Regulations (Reduction in benefits in cases where loss caused by member’s crime, negligence or fraud and forfeiture of rights to benefits)

or regulation 130 or 254 of the 2008 Regulations (Forfeiture of rights to benefits).

Amendments to the Health and Personal Social Services (Injury Benefits) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

3

  • “the 1993 Act” means the Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993[^f00005];
  • “the 1995 Regulations” means the Health and Personal Social Services (Superannuation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995[^f00006];
  • “the 2008 Regulations” means the Health and Social Care (Pension Scheme) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008[^f00007];
  • “APMS contract” means arrangements under Article 56 (2)(b) of the 1972 Order (primary medical services) between a Health and Social Services Board and an APMS contractor;
  • “APMS contractor” means a person— with whom a Health and Social Services Board has made arrangements under Article 56 (2)(b) of the 1972 Order, and who has entered into, or would be eligible to enter into, a GMS contract for the provision of primary medical services;
  • “average remuneration” means— in relation to a practitioner, the yearly average of such amount as would be or would have been his uprated earnings within the meaning of whichever of the following is applicable— paragraph 11(2) of Schedule 2 to the 1995 Regulations, as a practitioner to whom those Regulations apply; regulation 176(4)(b) of the 2008 Regulations, as a practitioner to whom those Regulations apply; in relation to a person other than a practitioner, such amount as would be or would have been— his final year’s superannuable pay under regulation 3(6) of the 1995 Regulations, as an officer to whom those Regulations apply (assuming, in the case of a person to whom regulation 3(1)(c) applies, that he was in receipt of the superannuable pay which would, in the opinion of the Department, have been payable if he were employed whole-time by an employing authority on similar duties); or his reckonable pay under regulation 15 of the 2008 Regulations, as the case may be, calculated as if he had retired— in the case of a person eligible for an allowance under regulation 4(3), on the date on which he ceased to be employed as a person to whom regulation 3(1) applies; in the case of a person eligible for an allowance under regulation 4(4) or (5), on the date on which his emoluments were reduced; in the case of any other person, on the date on which by reason of the injury or disease his employment ceased:
  • Provided that in respect of a person to whom regulation 3(1)(a) applies who, immediately before he ceased to be employed by reason of the injury or disease or as a person to whom regulation 3(1) applies, or immediately before the date on which his emoluments were reduced, as the case may be, was employed as a senior registrar, registrar, specialist registrar, senior house officer or house officer, average remuneration shall be increased to the amount which in the opinion of the Department represents the average remuneration of a general medical practitioner, or a general dental practitioner, as the case may be, of comparable age;
  • “dentist performer” has the same meaning as it has in Part 3 of the 2008 Regulations;
  • “GDS arrangements” means general dental services arrangements made under Article 61 of the 1972 Order;
  • “GMS contract” means a contract under Articles 57 and 57A of the 1972 Order or under Article 13 of the General Medical Services Transitional and Consequential Provisions (No. 1) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004[^f00008];
  • “GMS practice” means— a registered medical practitioner; or two or more individuals practising in partnership; or a company limited by shares, with whom a Health and Social Services Board has entered into a GMS contract;
  • “medical performers list” means a list of registered medical practitioners prepared and published in accordance with the Health and Personal Social Services (Primary Medical Services Performers Lists) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004[^f00009];

(2A) (1) In these Regulations “practitioner” means, in relation to a person who is or is eligible to be a member of the Scheme the rules of which are set out in the 1995 Regulations, a person, other than a locum practitioner— (a) to whom regulation 74(1) or (2) of the 1995 Regulations applies (or would apply if he had been a member of the Scheme at the date he sustains an injury, or contracts a disease, to which these Regulations apply); and (b) who is performing services— (i) in the case of a registered medical practitioner, under a GMS contract or an APMS contract; or (ii) in the case of a dentist performer, under GDS arrangements. (2) In these Regulations “practitioner” means, in relation to a person who is or is eligible to be a member of the Scheme the rules of which are set out in the 2008 Regulations, a person, other than a locum practitioner, who is (or was if he had been a member of that Scheme at the date he sustains an injury, or contracts a disease, to which these Regulations apply)— (a) a registered medical practitioner and— (i) a GP provider; or (ii) a GP performer, or (b) a dentist performer, who is performing services— (i) in the case of a registered medical practitioner, under a GMS contract or an APMS contract; or (ii) in the case of a dentist performer, under GDS arrangements.

(10) In this regulation, “normal benefit age” means— (a) in respect of a person who is or is eligible to be a member of the Scheme the rules of which are set out in the 1995 Regulations, 60; (b) in respect of a person who is or is eligible to be a member of the Scheme the rules of which are set out in the 2008 Regulations, 65.

(3) Except if paragraph (3A) applies, a surviving partner is not entitled to receive an allowance— (a) if the marriage took place, the civil partnership was formed or the nomination was made after— (i) the deceased last ceased to be employed as a person to whom these Regulations apply; or (ii) the date on which his or her earning ability was permanently reduced as a result of the injury or disease, whichever is the later; (b) if at the date of the deceased’s death such surviving partner and a man or, as the case may be, a woman to whom she or he is— (i) not married; or (ii) with whom she or he is not in a civil partnership; or (iii) are living together as husband and wife or as civil partners; or (c) in respect of any period after such surviving partner— (i) remarries or forms a civil partnership; or (ii) during which she or he lives together with another person as if she or he were married to or in a civil partnership with that other person, but where such marriage or civil partnership has terminated, the Department may restore an allowance to a surviving partner if the Department is satisfied that such surviving partner is suffering hardship.

(6) In this regulation, the “allowable maximum” means the amount to which a pension under the 1995 Regulations or the 2008 Regulations (as the case may be) of £2404 a year beginning on 9th April 2007 would have been increased under Part I of the Pensions (Increase) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971 at the date in question, plus the yearly amount of any expenses necessarily incurred for the purposes of the education or training.

Amendments to the Health and Personal Social Services (Compensation for Premature Retirement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1983

4

In the Health and Personal Social Services (Compensation for Premature Retirement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1983[^f00010] in regulation 4 (Payment of compensation), for paragraph (3) substitute—

(3) The compensation payable in accordance with this paragraph shall consist of an annual allowance at a rate equal to the rate by which that pension would be increased in accordance with the 1995 Regulations, if— (a) a period equal to the period with which he is credited under regulation 5 were added to the superannuable service in respect of which that pension is payable; and (b) for the purposes of regulation 3 of the 1995 Regulations, the whole period is treated as if it was added to the entitled officer’s superannuable service in respect of superannuable employment before 1st April 2008.

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 19th August 2008.

Don Hill — A senior officer of the — Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety

The Department of Finance and Personnel consents to the foregoing Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 19th August 2008.

Adrian Arbuthnot — A senior officer of the — Department of Finance and Personnel

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the Health and Personal Social Services (Superannuation) (Additional Voluntary Contributions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 (S.R. 1999 No. 294) (“the AVC Regulations”), the Health and Personal Social Services (Injury Benefits) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 (S.R. 2001 No. 367) (“the Injury Benefits Regulations”) and the Health and Personal Social Services (Compensation for Premature Retirement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1983 (S.R. 1983 No. 155) (“the Compensation Regulations”).

Regulation 2 amends the AVC Regulations by inserting new definitions consequential upon changes to the Health and Personal Social Services (Superannuation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 (S.R. 1995 No. 95) (“the 1995 Regulations”) and as a result of the Health and Social Care (Pension Scheme) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 (“the 2008 Regulations”). The amendments to the AVC Regulations indicate which of the 1995 Regulations or the 2008 Regulations apply in any given case. In addition to the above, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is designated as the administrator of the AVC Scheme for the purposes of the Finance Act 2004 (see regulation 2(14)(b)).

Regulation 3 amends the Injury Benefits Regulations in the same way and for the same purpose as regulation 2 amends the AVC Regulations. In particular regulation 3(4) inserts a new regulation (regulation 2A) into the Injury Benefits Regulations so as to define the word “practitioner”.

Regulation 4 amends the Compensation Regulations so as to specify the amount of compensation payable by way of an annual allowance under those Regulations.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: S.I. 1972/1073 (N.I. 10) as amended by S.I. 1990/1509 (N.I. 13), 1993 c. 49 (N.I.) and S.I. 2002/1555

[^f00002]: S.R. 1999 No. 294 as amended by S.R. 2002 No. 129; S.R. 2004 No. 104; S.R. 2005 Nos. 154 and 533, S.R. 2006 No. 410 and S.R. 2008 No. 130

[^f00003]: S.R. 2008 No. 256

[^f00004]: S.R. 2001 No. 367 as amended by S.R. 2005 Nos. 533 and 565, S.R. 2006 Nos. 159 and 410 and S.R. 2008 No. 130

[^f00005]: 1993 c. 48.

[^f00006]: S.R. 1995 No. 95

[^f00007]: S.R. 2008 No. 256

[^f00008]: S.R. 2004 No. 141

[^f00009]: S.R. 2004 No. 149 as amended by S.R. 2005 No. 230

[^f00010]: S.R. 1983 No. 155 as amended by S.R. 1986 No. 322, S.R. 1991 No. 506, S.R. 2005 No. 533 and S.R. 2008 Nos. 96 and 130

Reading this document does not replace reading the official text published on legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies arising from the conversion of the original CLML XML to this format.

This text is published under legislation.gov.uk's own terms of reuse, not a Legalize or public-domain licence. legislation.gov.uk
Open Government Licence v3.0 (attribution required)
© Crown and database right. Derived from content available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 from legislation.gov.uk.