Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

Purchase of added years

Payments to increase total membership

57.—(1) An active member may elect to make additional contributions to the Scheme to increase his total membership by an additional period.

(2) That period must not exceed the maximum addition under Schedule 4.

(3) The election must be made by giving notice in writing to the Committee earlier than the member’s 64th birthday.

(4) If –

(a) the Committee passes a resolution requiring a member to satisfy it that he is in good health by producing to it a report at his own expense provided by an independent registered medical practitioner approved by the Committee; and

(b) it is not so satisfied,

the election is void.

(5) The amounts of the additional contributions must be such percentage of the member’s pay for the time being as is shown as appropriate in guidance issued by the Government Actuary.

(6) A member’s pay for the time being is the pay received by him for the interval at the end of which the additional contribution falls to be paid.

(7) Where a member is away from work (otherwise than because of illness or injury) with reduced or no pay, for paragraph (6) he is treated as having received the pay he would have received if he had not been away (unless his contract of employment has ceased).

(8) For paragraph (6) any reduction in pay by reason of the actual or assumed enjoyment of any statutory entitlement during any period in which the member is away from work (other than a period of maternity absence) shall be disregarded.

(9) If a member continues paying the additional contributions until –

(a) his normal retirement date,

(b) or if earlier his last birthday before the date after his 60th birthday when the sum of the items referred to in sub-paragraphs (a) to (c) of regulation 33(4) is 85 years or more,

the whole of the additional period may be counted as part of his total membership.

(10) Otherwise, the part of that period which may be so counted must be calculated as specified in regulation 84 (discontinuance of additional contributions).

(11) The additional contributions are payable from the member’s next birthday after his election.

Part-time employees

58.—(1) If a person in a part-time employment elects under regulation 57, the periods mentioned in that regulation must be reduced in the proportion his contractual hours bear to the number of contractual hours of a single comparable whole-time employment.

(2) But the amounts of his additional contributions must be calculated as a percentage of his actual pay (subject to paragraphs (7) and (8) of regulation 57).

(3) Where any person has made such an election, if –

(a) his employment ceases to be part-time and becomes whole-time employment;

(b) his employment ceases to be whole-time and becomes part-time employment; or

(c) his contractual hours in the part-time employment alter,

his additional contributions continue to be payable at the same percentage of his pay, but the additional period counted by reason of contributions paid after the change must be calculated as if the change had occurred immediately before the election.

(4) Paragraphs (1) to (3) do not apply to old elections.

(5) But the member may elect for paragraph (2) to apply to an old election and, if he does so, the additional period counted by reason of contributions paid after that election must be calculated as if paragraphs (1) to (3) had always applied as respects his old election.

(6) A member’s election under paragraph (5) must be made by giving notice in writing to the Committee not later than one year before his normal retirement date.

(7) Old elections are elections made before 1st August 2000.

Effect of increases under this Chapter for older members

59.  Regulation 56 applies as respects additional periods counted under the previous provisions of this Chapter as it applies as respects additional periods counted under Chapter II.