2.—(1) Regulations may make provision amending—
(a)the trust deed of the scheme for the purpose of enabling the trustees to amend any provision of that trust deed, subject to such consents and conditions as may be prescribed;
(b)the scheme for the efficient and proper beneficial operation and management of the scheme.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of sub-paragraph (1) (b), regulations under this paragraph may amend the scheme for any of the following purposes, namely—
(a)for enabling persons whose participation in the scheme will not prejudice its approval for the purposes of the relevant statutory provisions, and employees of such persons, to participate in or acquire pension rights under the scheme on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed;
(b)for enabling the scheme to be extended on such terms and conditions as may be prescribed to persons with pension rights other than under the scheme in so far as any such extension of the scheme will not prejudice its approval for the purposes of the relevant statutory provisions;
(c)for requiring any persons (including persons not participating in the scheme) to make payments to the trustees of the scheme in such circumstances as may be prescribed;
(d)for requiring or enabling any functions exercisable under the scheme by Northern Ireland Electricity to be exercisable by such persons, and in such circumstances, as may be prescribed;
(e)for enabling the scheme to be wound up (in whole or in part) in such circumstances as may be prescribed; and
(f)for securing that the scheme continues to be approved for the purposes of the relevant statutory provisions, notwithstanding the transfers made by this Order and the repeal of paragraph 10 of Schedule 1 to the [1972 NI 9] Electricity Supply (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 by Article 95(4) and Schedule 14.
(3) Regulations under this paragraph may be made so as to have effect from a date prior to their making, so however that so much of any regulations as provides that any provision of regulations shall have effect from a date prior to their making shall not place any person other than Northern Ireland Electricity, or its successor companies, in a worse position than he would have been in if the regulations had been made to have effect only from the date of their making.
(4) Regulations under this paragraph shall not be made at any time after any successor company has ceased to be wholly owned by the Crown.