The Firemen’s Pension Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2006

Aggregate pension contributions for purposes of awards

6.—(1) A regular fireman’s aggregate pension contributions comprise—

(a) all payments made by him to the Authority that fall within paragraph (2);

(b) all contributions made by him in accordance with an election under article 67 (optional pension contributions during maternity and adoption leave),

(c) all payments made by him in accordance with an election under article 71 (election to purchase increased benefits); and

(d) if paragraph (3) applies, the amount of the notional award described in paragraph (4).

(2) The payments falling within this paragraph are payments under this Scheme or a previous Scheme that relate to a period of service which the regular fireman is, or was immediately before electing under article 68 not to pay pension contributions, entitled to reckon as pensionable service and have not been refunded to him, including payments made—

(a) by way of rateable deductions from pay;

(b) by way of such additional and further payments as were mentioned in Articles 51 to 53 of the 1973 Scheme; or

(c) in accordance with such an undertaking as is mentioned in Part I of Schedule 6.

(3) This paragraph applies where the regular fireman is, or was immediately before electing under article 68 not to pay pension contributions, entitled to reckon pensionable service by reason of a period of service or employment otherwise than as a regular fireman (“the previous employment period”).

(4) The notional award mentioned in paragraph (1)(d) is the award by way of return of contributions or analogous payment that would have been made to him if, at the end of the previous employment period, he had voluntarily retired in circumstances entitling him to such an award under the applicable superannuation arrangements.