Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

CHAPTER V SPECIAL ADJUSTMENTS

Abatement during new employment

Statements of policy concerning abatement of retirement pensions in new employment

112.—(1) The Committee must formulate and keep under review its policy concerning abatement (that is, the extent, if any, to which the amount of retirement pension payable to a member from the fund maintained by it under the Scheme should be reduced (or whether it should be extinguished) where the member has entered a new employment with a Scheme employer).

(2) Before formulating that policy the Committee must consult with employing authorities.

(3) Before the expiry of the period of four months beginning with the commencement date, the Committee shall publish a statement as to the policy which is being applied by it where a member who is so entitled enters such a new employment on or after that date.

(4) Where, as a result of reviewing its policy concerning abatement, the Committee determines to amend it, it must publish a statement of the amended policy before the expiry of the period of one month beginning with the date it determines to do so.

(5) In formulating its policy concerning abatement, the Committee must have regard to –

(a) the level of potential financial gain at which it wishes abatement to apply;

(b) the administrative costs which are likely to be incurred as a result of abatement in the different circumstances in which it may occur; and

(c) the extent to which a policy not to apply abatement could lead to a serious loss of confidence in the public service.

(6) In paragraph (5)(a) the reference to financial gain is a reference to the financial gain which it appears to the Committee may be obtained by a member as a result of his entitlement both to a pension and to pay under the new employment.

Application of abatement policy in individual cases

113.—(1) Where a member who is entitled to the payment of a retirement pension proposes to enter a new employment with a Scheme employer, he must inform the employer about that entitlement.

(2) If such a member enters such a new employment he must immediately notify the Committee in writing.

(3) The Committee –

(a) must apply the policy published by it under regulation 112 to the member; and

(b) it may reduce the annual rate of that pension or, as the case may be, may cease to pay it, during the period while he holds the new employment, in accordance with that policy.

(4) But no reduction under paragraph (3) of the pension of a person who was a member immediately before the commencement date may exceed the reduction which would have applied under the 2000 Regulations if those Regulations had applied when the member entered his new employment.

Misconduct

Forfeiture of pension rights after conviction of employment-related offences

114.—(1) If a member is convicted of a relevant offence, a Minister of the Crown may issue a forfeiture certificate.

(2) Where a forfeiture certificate is issued the member’s former employing authority may direct that any of the rights in respect of him under these Regulations or the 2000 Regulations as respects his previous membership are forfeited.

(3) A relevant offence is an offence, committed in connection with an employment in which the person convicted is a member, and because of which he has left that employment.

(4) A forfeiture certificate is a certificate that the offence –

(a) was gravely injurious to the State; or

(b) is liable to lead to serious loss of confidence in the public service.

(5) If the former employing authority incurred loss as a direct consequence of the relevant offence, it may only give a direction under paragraph (2) if it is unable to recover its loss under regulation 116 or 118 or otherwise, except after an unreasonable time or at disproportionate cost.

(6) A direction under paragraph (2) may only be given if an application to a Minister of the Crown for a forfeiture certificate has been made by the former employing authority before the expiry of the period of three months beginning with the date of the conviction.

(7) Where a former employing authority applies for a forfeiture certificate, it must at the same time send the convicted person and the Committee a copy of the application.

Interim payments directions

115.—(1) If –

(a) a person leaves an employment in which he was a member, because of an offence in connection with that employment; and

(b) a forfeiture certificate has been issued under regulation 114(1) in respect of that offence,

his former employing authority may give an interim payments direction to the Committee.

(2) But his former employing authority may not give such a direction if it has given any direction under regulation 114(2) (“a forfeiture direction”).

(3) An interim payments direction is a direction to make interim payments to any person who appears to the former employing authority to be a person who would be entitled to receive payment of a benefit under the Scheme if no forfeiture direction were given.

(4) The person to whom payments must be made and the amounts must be specified in the direction.

(5) The amounts must not exceed the amounts which the person specified would be entitled to be paid if no forfeiture direction were given.

(6) An interim payments direction is not a decision under regulation 98 as to any person’s entitlement to a benefit.

(7) Payments in accordance with an interim payments direction shall be deemed to be payments in respect of a benefit to which the recipient was entitled (regardless of any contrary forfeiture direction or decision under regulation 98).

Recovery or retention where former member has misconduct obligation

116.—(1) This regulation applies where a person –

(a) has left an employment, in which he was or had at some time been a member, in consequence of a criminal, negligent or fraudulent act or omission on his part in connection with that employment;

(b) has incurred some monetary obligation, arising out of that act or omission, to the body which was his employing authority in that employment; and

(c) is entitled to benefits under Part II.

(2) The former employing authority may recover or retain out of the fund –

(a) the amount of the monetary obligation; or

(b) the value at the time of the recovery or retention of all rights in respect of the former employee under the Scheme with respect to his previous membership (as determined by an actuary),

whichever is less.

(3) The rights specified in paragraph (2)(b) do not include rights enjoyed by virtue of the receipt of a transfer value or credited by virtue of regulation 68(4) (including that regulation as it applies by virtue of regulation 74).

(4) The former employing authority must give the former employee–

(a) not less than three months' notice of the amount to be recovered or retained under paragraph (2); and

(b) a certificate showing the amount recovered or retained, how it is calculated, and the effect on his benefits or prospective benefits.

(5) If there is any dispute over the amount of the monetary obligation specified in paragraph (1)(b), the former employing authority may not recover or retain any amount under paragraph (2) until the obligation is enforceable under an order of a competent court or the award of an arbitrator.

Protection of GMP rights

117.—(1) The power –

(a) to give directions under regulation 114(2); or

(b) to recover or retain amounts under regulation 116(2),

may not be exercised so as to deprive a person of his guaranteed minimum pension or any widow’s or widower’s guaranteed minimum pension.

(2) But such a power may be so exercised if the person left his employment –

(a) because of the offence of treason; or

(b) because of one or more offences under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989(1) for which the former member has been sentenced on the same occasion –

(i) to a term of imprisonment of at least 10 years, or

(ii) to two or more consecutive terms amounting in the aggregate to at least 10 years.

Transfer of sums from the fund to compensate for former member’s misconduct

118.—(1) This regulation applies where –

(a) a person has left an employment in which he was a member because of –

(i) an offence of a fraudulent character, or

(ii) grave misconduct,

in either case in connection with that employment;

(b) his former employing authority in that employment has suffered direct financial loss by reason of the offence or misconduct; and

(c) either –

(i) the former employee became entitled to benefits under Part II or the 2000 Regulations and a direction has been given under regulation 114(2), or

(ii) he did not become so entitled and on leaving the employment became entitled to a return of contributions under regulation 88 (whether or not he has waived his right).

(2) If the former employing authority is the Committee, it may retain an appropriate amount in the fund.

(3) Otherwise, the Committee must pay the former employing authority an appropriate amount out of the fund, if requested to do so.

(4) But if a contributions equivalent premium or a payment in lieu of contributions is due or has been made in respect of the former employee, the Committee may reduce an amount retained under paragraph (2) or a payment under paragraph (3) by the amount of any contributions equivalent premium and by half the amount of any payment in lieu of contributions.

(5) An appropriate amount is an amount not exceeding –

(a) the amount of the direct financial loss; or

(b) the amount of any contributions which could have been returned to the former employee, or paid to his spouse or a dependant, under regulation 89(2) or regulation C21(4) of the 2000 Regulations, less the amount of any which have been so returned or paid,

whichever is the less.

(6) If after making a payment under paragraph (3) the Committee is required to make any transfer payment under Chapter IV of Part IV of the Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993(2) or under regulation 122 for a former employee, the former employing authority must repay it, if requested to do so.

(1)

1911 c. 28, 1920 c. 25, 1939 c. 121, 1989 c. 6

(2)

1993 c. 49