B5.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (3) to (8), the Committee may make an agreement (“an admission agreement”) with any body specified in paragraph (10) providing for employees of that body (“the admitted body”) to participate in the benefits of the fund.
(2) In relation to an employee participating in the benefits of the fund by virtue of an admission agreement (“an admitted employee”) these regulations have effect as if he were a pensionable employee and the admitted body were a scheduled body.
(3) The terms and conditions of any agreement made under this regulation shall include provision that any question which may arise between the Committee and the body concerned relating to the construction of the agreement or to the rights and obligations thereunder of either party shall be determined by the Department and such determination shall be final.
(4) Subject to paragraph (5), an admission agreement may provide for members of a specified class or classes of employees of the admitted body to become admitted employees.
(5) An admission agreement may not provide for any person who—
(a)has not attained the age of 18 years; or
(b)has attained the age of 65 years and does not fall within regulation B1(8)(f),
to become an admitted employee, or for any part-time employee to become an admitted employee otherwise than as provided in Part III of Schedule 2 which shall, in relation to a part-time employee to whom the agreement applies, be taken to apply as if the admitted body were a scheduled body described in Part I of Schedule 2.
(6) Without prejudice to paragraph (2), regulations B2 to B4 shall, without further provision, be taken to apply to any employee to whom an admission agreement relates and in particular as if references to a pensionable employee included references to a person contributing to the fund by virtue of the agreement and references to regulation B1 included references to the agreement.
(7) Except as provided in paragraph (8), an admission agreement may not modify the application of these regulations to any admitted employee so that he has any greater or lesser rights or liabilities than those he would have had if he had become a pensionable employee by virtue of regulation B1.
(8) An admission agreement may provide that any previous period of employment of an admitted employee by the admitted body is to be reckonable as reckonable service to such extent as may be specified in the agreement.
(9) On making an admission agreement the Committee shall forthwith inform the Department of the name of the admitted body and the date from which the agreement takes effect.
(10) The bodies mentioned in paragraph (1) are—
(a)a body representative of local authorities or of local authorities and officers of local authorities or a body representative of officers of local authorities formed for the purpose of consultation as to the common interest of those authorities and the discussion of matters relating to local government;
(b)statutory undertakers;
(c)non-statutory undertakers;
(d)a body which provides a public service in Northern Ireland otherwise than for the purposes of gain or to whose funds any district council contribute or to whom any monies are payable from monies appropriated by Measure; and
(e)the managers of a voluntary school within the meaning of Article 2(2) of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986(1).
(11) In this regulation—
“statutory undertakers” means a body authorised by any statutory provision to carry on—
any railway, light railway, tramway, road transport, water transport, canal, inland navigation, dock, harbour, pier, lighthouse or airport undertaking; or
any undertaking for the supply of electricity, gas or hydraulicpower; or
any undertaking for the promotion of industrial development orthe promotion of the development of tourist traffic;
“non-statutory undertakers” means a body who, though not authorised by any statutory provision to do so, are primarily engaged in carrying on—
any railway, light railway, tramway, road transport, water transport, canal, inland navigation, dock, harbour, pier, lighthouse or airport undertaking; or
any undertaking for the supply of electricity, gas or hydraulic power; or
any undertaking for the promotion of industrial development or the promotion of the development of tourist traffic.
(12) Any agreement made under, or continued in force by, regulation 13 of the 1981 regulations shall continue in force as if it were an agreement made under this regulation, notwithstanding the revocation of those regulations by regulation S3.