The Health and Social Care Pension Scheme (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025

Made: 5th February 2025

Coming into operation: 1st April 2025

In accordance with Article 12(1) of the 1972 Order and section 3(5) of the 2014 Act, these Regulations are made with the consent of the Department of Finance.

Citation and commencement

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Health and Social Care Pension Scheme (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 and come into operation on 1st April 2025.

General

2

The Health and Social Care Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015[^f00003] are amended as provided by regulations 3 to 5.

Amendment of regulation 30

3

In regulation 30 (members’ contributions: employees)[^f00004]—

• (1) In paragraph (3)—

• (a) for “scheme years 2024/25” substitute “scheme years 2025/26”;

• (b) for the table, substitute—

• (2) in paragraph (3A)—

• (a) for “scheme years 2024/25” substitute “scheme years 2025/26”;

• (b) for the table substitute—

Amendment of regulation 31

4

In regulation 31 (members’ contributions: practitioners and non-GP providers)[^f00005]—

• (a) in paragraph (9)(b) omit “and each subsequent scheme year”;

• (b) in paragraph (9)(c), for “scheme years 2024/25 to 2027/28, Table 3” substitute “scheme year 2024/25, Table 3;”;

• (c) after subparagraph (c), insert—

(d) in respect of the scheme years 2025/26 to 2027/28, Table 4.

• (d) for the heading on table 2 omit “and each subsequent scheme year”;

• (e) for the heading on table 3 omit “to 2027/28”;

• (f) after table 3 insert—

• (g) In paragraph (11) for “Table 3” substitute “Table 4”.

Amendment of Schedule 13

5

Schedule 13 (definitions), for the entry in column 2 corresponding to the expression active member, for “124(1)” substitute “121(1)”.

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health on 5th February 2025.

Philip Rodgers — A senior officer of the Department of Health

The Department of Finance consents to the foregoing Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance on 5th February 2025.

Jeff McGuinness — A senior officer of the Department of Finance

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations amend the Health and Social Care Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 (S.R. 2015 No. 120) (“the 2015 Regulations”).

These Regulations come into operation on 1st April 2025.

Regulation 1 provides for citation and commencement.

Regulation 2 makes amendments to the Health and Social Care Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015.

Regulation 3 updates the tables in paragraph (3) and 3(A) of regulation 30 (members’ contributions: employees), which set out pensionable earnings bands and contribution rates, to reflect scheme years 2025/26 to 2027/28.

Regulation 4 updates the tables in paragraph (9) and inserts table 4 in regulation 31 (members’ contributions: practitioners and non-GP providers) which sets out the pensionable earnings bands and contribution rates for year 2025/26 to 2027/28.

Regulation 5 corrects a pre-existing error in the 2015 Regulations.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1972 N.I 10 Section 12(1) was amended by sections 32 and 34(3) and Schedule 6 of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland )2009 and section 37(2) of the Public Service Pensions Act (NI) 2014.

[^f00002]: 2014 c. 2 Section 3(1) and (2) were amended by section 94(2) and (3) of the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022 (c.7).

[^f00003]: S.R. 2015 No. 120.

[^f00004]: Regulation 30 is amended by S.R. 2019 No.62, S.R. 2022 No.33, S.R. 2022 No.244, S.R. 2024 No.116 & S.R. 2024 No 117.

[^f00005]: Regulation 31 is amended by S.R. 2019 No.62, S.R. 2022 No.33, S.R. 2022 No.244., S.R. 2024 No.116 & S.R. 2024 No 117.

Editorial notes

[^key-2cf6b531da962d1f14f529a46bfa2644]: Reg. 1 in operation at 1.4.2025, see reg. 1

[^key-0cd806b223197cbd2683c6bcf2298cc6]: Reg. 2 in operation at 1.4.2025, see reg. 1

[^key-86a637743760aaa1d045eee9c9f688a2]: Reg. 3 in operation at 1.4.2025, see reg. 1

[^key-d0fcac42570c903c7dd6f1797eb95787]: Reg. 4 in operation at 1.4.2025, see reg. 1

[^key-9b318ecf3a151436d1d9c3f4809bf6c3]: Reg. 5 in operation at 1.4.2025, see reg. 1