134.—(1) In section 36 of the Pension Schemes Act (scope of Chapter II of Part III), in paragraph (b), after “members of” insert “money purchase contracted-out schemes and members of”.
(2) For section 37(1) of that Act (reduced rates of Class 1 contributions for earners in contracted-out employment), including the sidenote and the preceding heading, substitute—
(1) Where—
(a)the earnings paid to or for the benefit of an earner in any tax week are in respect of an employment which is contracted-out employment at the time of the payment, and
(b)the earners’s service in the employment is service which qualifies him for a pension provided by a salary related contracted-out scheme,
the amount of a Class 1 contribution in respect of so much of the earnings paid in that week as exceeds the current lower earnings limit but not the current upper earnings limit for that week (or the prescribed equivalents if he is paid otherwise than weekly) shall be reduced by the following amount.
(1A) The amount is—
(a)in the case of a primary Class 1 contribution, an amount equal to 1.8 per cent. of that part of those earnings, and
(b)in the case of a secondary Class 1 contribution, an amount equal to 3 per cent. of that part of those earnings.”.
(3) For section 38(1) of the Pension Schemes Act (alteration of rates of contributions under section 37) substitute—
“(1) Whenever the Secretary of State makes an order under section 42 of the Pension Schemes Act 1993 (determination of reduced rates of Class 1 contributions for members of salary related contracted-out schemes), the Department may make a corresponding order for Northern Ireland.”.
(4) After that section insert—
38A.—(1) Subsections (2) and (3) apply where—
(a)the earnings paid to or for the benefit of an earner in any tax week are in respect of an employment which is contracted-out employment at the time of the payment, and
(b)the earner’s service in the employment is service which qualifies him for a pension provided by a money purchase contracted-out scheme.
(2) The amount of a Class 1 contribution in respect of so much of the earnings paid in that week in respect of that employment as exceeds the current lower earnings limit but not the current upper earnings limit for that week (or the prescribed equivalents if he is paid otherwise than weekly) shall be reduced by an amount equal to the appropriate flat-rate percentage of that part of those earnings.
(3) The Department shall, except in prescribed circumstances or in respect of prescribed periods, pay in respect of that earner and that tax week to the trustees or managers of the scheme or, in prescribed circumstances, to a prescribed person, the amount by which—
(a)the appropriate age-related percentage of that part of those earnings,
exceeds
(b)the appropriate flat-rate percentage of that part of those earnings.
(4) Regulations may make provisions—
(a)as to the manner in which and time at which or period within which payments under subsection (3) are to be made,
(b)for the adjustment of the amount which would otherwise be payable under that subsection so as to avoid the payment of trivial or fractional amounts,
(c)for earnings to be calculated or estimated in such manner and on such basis as may be prescribed for the purpose of determining whether any, and if so what, payments under subsection (3) are to be made.
(5) If the Department pays an amount under subsection (3) which it is not required to pay or is not required to pay to the person to whom, or in respect of whom, the Department pays it, the Department may recover it from any person to whom, or in respect of whom, the Department paid it.
(6) Where—
(a)an earner has ceased to be employed in an employment, and
(b)earnings are paid to him or for his benefit within the period of six weeks, or such other period as may be prescribed, from the day on which he so ceased, that employment shall be treated for the purposes of this section as contracted-out employment at the time when the earnings are paid if it was contracted-out employment in relation to the earner when he was last employed in it.
(7) Subsection (3) of section 37 applies for the purposes of this section as it applies for the purposes of that.
38B. Whenever the Secretary of State makes an order under section 42B of the Pension Schemes Act 1993, (determination and alteration of reduced rates of primary and secondary Class 1 contributions for members of money purchase contracted-out schemes), the Department may make a corresponding order for Northern Ireland.”
(5) In Schedule 3 to that Act (priority in bankruptcy, etc), in paragraph 2(3)—
(a)in paragraph (a), for “4.8 per cent.” substitute “the percentage for non-contributing earners”,
(b)in paragraph (b), for “3 per cent.” substitute “the percentage for contributing earners”.
(6) In paragraph 2(5) of that Schedule—
(a)before the definition of “employer” insert—
““appropriate flat-rate percentage” means the appropriate flat rate percentage for the purposes of section 38A(2);” and
(b)after that definition insert—
““the percentage for contributing earners”
in relation to a salary related contracted-out scheme, 3 per cent, and
in relation to a money purchase contracted-out scheme, the percentage which is the appropriate flat-rate percentage for secondary Class 1 contributions,
“the percentage for non-contributing earners” means—
in relation to a salary related contracted-out scheme, 4.8 per cent, and
in relation to a money purchase contracted-out scheme, a percentage equal to the sum of the appropriate flat-rate percentages for primary and secondary Class 1 contributions;”.