The Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

The Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Regulations 1997 (S.I. 1997/371) provide that there shall continue to be a register of occupational and personal pension schemes for the United Kingdom and for the appointment of the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority as the Registrar of such schemes.

These Regulations, which replace the Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Regulations 1990, make provision relating to information to be provided to, and by, the Registrar.

Regulation 1 provides for the citation, commencement and interpretation of the Regulations.

Regulation 2 imposes a duty on the trustees of a scheme to supply information to the Registrar and specifies time limits within which such information must be supplied.

Regulation 3 requires notification to the Registrar of any change in the information supplied under regulation 2.

Regulation 4 provides for the Registrar to make information available to the Pensions Compensation Board and the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority.

Regulation 5 makes it an offence, punishable on summary conviction by a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale (currently £5,000), for a person to breach these Regulations by failing, without reasonable cause, to provide information to the Registrar or to notify the Registrar of a change in the information provided.

Regulation 6 makes transitional provisions.

Regulation 7 makes revocations.

Sections 2(2A) and 164(1) and (2) of the Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993, some of the enabling provisions under which these Regulations are made, were inserted and substituted respectively by paragraph 13 of Schedule 1 to, and Article 151(1) of, the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (“the Order”).

The Pensions (1995 Order) (Commencement No. 4) Order (Northern Ireland) 1996 (S.R. 1996 No. 307 (C. 18)) provides for the coming into operation of Article 151 of the Order, for the purpose of authorising the making of regulations, on 23rd July 1996. The Pensions (1995 Order) (Commencement No. 5) Order (Northern Ireland) 1996 (S.R. 1996 No. 534 (C. 25)) provides for the coming into operation of paragraph 13 of Schedule 1 to the Order, for the purpose only of authorising the making of regulations, on 19th November 1996.