The Pensions (2015 Act) (Commencement No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015

Made: 11th September 2015

The Department for Social Development makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 53(1) of the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015[^f00001].

Citation and interpretation

1

• (1) This Order may be cited as the Pensions (2015 Act) (Commencement No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015.

• (2) In this Order any reference to a numbered section or Schedule is to the section of, or Schedule to, the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 bearing that number.

Appointed days

2

• (1) The day appointed for the coming into operation of—

• (a) section 24(1) (abolition of contracting-out for salary related schemes etc.) and paragraph 1 of Schedule 13 (abolition of contracting-out for salary related schemes), in so far as they relate to the provisions specified in sub-paragraph (b);

• (b) in Schedule 13, paragraphs 24 and 25,

for the purpose only of authorising the making of regulations, is 14th September 2015.

• (2) The day appointed for the coming into operation of—

• (a) section 23 (amendments) and paragraphs 8 and 72 of Schedule 12 (state pension: amendments), in so far as they relate to the provisions specified in sub-paragraph (c);

• (b) section 27(3) (state pension credit: phasing out assessed income periods), and

• (c) in Schedule 12, paragraphs 21 and 74,

is 14th September 2015.

• (3) The day appointed for the coming into operation of section 25 (option to boost old retirement pensions) and Schedule 15 (option to boost old retirement pensions), in so far as not already in operation, is 12th October 2015.

• (4) The day appointed for the coming into operation of section 27(1) and (2) (state pension credit: phasing out assessed income periods) is 6th April 2016.

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 11th September 2015

Anne McCleary — A senior officer of the Department for Social Development

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Order provides for the coming into operation of certain provisions of the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (“the Act”) in accordance with Article 2.

Article 2 (1) brings into operation paragraphs 24 and 25 of Schedule 13, which relate to the abolition of contracting-out for salary related schemes, and section 24(1) and paragraph 1 of the Schedule 13 in so far as they relate to those paragraphs, for the purpose only of authorising the making of regulations on 14th September 2015.

Article 2 (2) brings into operation on 14th September 2015—

• section 27(3) and paragraph 74 of Schedule 12 which relate to the phasing out of assessed income periods and the limiting of savings credit for certain mixed-age couples in State Pension Credit; and

• an amendment in paragraph 21 of Schedule 12 to an order-making power in relation to reciprocal agreements with countries outside the United Kingdom so that the power applies to state pension under Part 1 of the Act.

Article 2 (3) brings into operation section 25 and Schedule 15, so far as those provisions are not already in operation, on 12th October 2015. This allows the Class 3A voluntary National Insurance contributions / State Pension top-up scheme to come fully into operation so that from that date an eligible person in Northern Ireland may obtain a unit of additional pension in return for paying a Class 3A contribution.

Article 2 (4) brings into operation section 27(1) and (2) which amends the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) [2002 (c. 14)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/14) in connection with the abolition of assessed income periods.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2015 c. 5 (N.I.)