The Occupational Pension Schemes (Winding up, etc.) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Amendment of the Pension Sharing (Implementation and Discharge of Liability) Regulations

17.—(1) The Pension Sharing (Implementation and Discharge of Liability) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000(1) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) In regulation 16 (adjustments to amount of pension credit: occupational pension schemes which are underfunded on the valuation day) for paragraphs (2) to (2B)(2) there shall be substituted the following paragraphs –

“(2) In the case of a scheme to which Article 56 of the 1995 Order (minimum funding requirement) applies, the lesser amount referred to in paragraph 8(1) of Schedule 5 (adjustments to amount of pension credit) may be determined for the purposes of that paragraph by reducing the pension credit if the GN 11 insufficiency conditions are met.

(2A) The GN 11 insufficiency conditions are that the actuary’s last relevant GN 11 report (see paragraph (2J)) shows that at the effective date of the report –

(a) the scheme had assets that were insufficient to pay the full amount of the cash equivalent in respect of all the members; and

(b) the assets were insufficient to pay in full any category of liabilities for benefits to which the pension credit relates.

(2B) If the GN 11 insufficiency conditions are met then, subject to paragraph (2D), the trustees or managers may reduce any part of the pension credit that relates to benefits the liabilities for which fall within such a category as is mentioned in paragraph (2A)(b) by a percentage not exceeding the GN 11 deficiency percentage.

(2C) The GN 11 deficiency percentage for any such part of the pension credit is the percentage by which the actuary’s last relevant GN 11 report shows that the assets were insufficient to pay the category of liabilities into which the liabilities for those benefits falls.

(2D) The total reduction made in a pension credit under paragraph (2) must not reduce the cash equivalent in respect of the pension credit below the MFR basis minimum for the person entitled to the credit.

(2E) Subject to paragraph (2F), for the purposes of this regulation, the MFR basis minimum for such a person is the minimum amount required in accordance with regulation 4(3)(b)(iii) of the Pension Sharing (Valuation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 to pay in full the liabilities for the benefits in respect of which the cash equivalent is being calculated.

(2F) If the GN 11 insufficiency conditions and the MFR insufficiency conditions are both met, the MFR basis minimum for the person for the purposes of paragraph (2D) may be reduced in accordance with paragraph (2H).

(2G) The MFR insufficiency conditions are that the last relevant MFR valuation statement (see paragraph (2K)) shows that at the effective date of the valuation –

(a) the scheme had assets that were insufficient to pay in full the liabilities of the scheme in respect of pensions and other benefits towards which the assets would be required by Article 73 of the 1995 Order to be applied in the order determined under that Article; and

(b) the assets were insufficient to pay in full any category of liabilities to which that order applies that are liabilities for benefits to which the pension credit relates.

(2H) The reduction that may be made under paragraph (2F) is that any part of the MFR basis minimum for the person that relates to that category of liabilities may be reduced by a percentage not exceeding the MFR deficiency percentage.

(2I) The MFR deficiency percentage for any such part of the MFR basis minimum for the person is the percentage by which the last relevant MFR valuation statement shows that the assets were insufficient to pay that category of liabilities.

(2J) The references in this regulation to the actuary’s last relevant GN 11 report are to his last report before the valuation day in accordance with “Retirement Benefit Schemes – Transfer Values (GN 11)” published by the Faculty of Actuaries and the Institute of Actuaries and current at the valuation day.

(2K) The references in this regulation to the last relevant MFR valuation statement are to the statement made by the actuary in accordance with Schedule 1 to the Occupational Pension Schemes (Minimum Funding Requirement and Actuarial Valuations) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (minimum funding valuation statements) and contained in the last actuarial valuation under Article 57 of the 1995 Order (valuation and certification of assets and liabilities) before the valuation day.

(2L) If the last relevant MFR valuation statement refers to an order for applying assets determined under Article 73 of the 1995 Order that is an order modified by regulations made under that Article, then the reduction under paragraph (2F) is to be made by reference to the order as so modified.”.

(3) In regulation 16(3) for “paragraph (2)”, “the reference” and “a reference” there shall be substituted “paragraphs (2), (2A) and (2G)”, “the references” and “references” respectively.

(4) This regulation only applies if the relevant proceedings commenced on or after 6th April 2005 and the scheme has not begun to be wound up before that date.

(5) In paragraph (4) “the relevant proceedings” means the proceedings for the dissolution or annulment of marriage in connection with which the order or provision mentioned in Article 25(1) of the 1999 Order that resulted in entitlement to the pension credit in question was made.

(1)

S.R. 2000 No. 145; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 2003 No. 337

(2)

Paragraphs (2) to (2B) were substituted for paragraph (2) by regulation 5(3) of S.R. 2003 No. 337