The Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve (Full-time) Severance Regulations 2006

PART 4 PENSIONS

Eligibility for pensionable service enhancements

10.—(1) A member who complies with the following conditions shall be eligible for pensionable service enhancements in accordance with the Pensions Regulations—

(a) he or she has been making contributions under regulation G2 (pensions contributions payable by member) of the Pensions Regulations; and

(b) those contributions have been made continuously from 31st March 2005 (or earlier) until the date of leaving.

(2) Paragraph (1) applies to those members of the reserve service who are on authorised unpaid leave.

Payment in lieu

11.—(1) A member who would have been entitled to a short service award as defined in regulation B2 (member’s short service award) of the Pensions Regulations shall receive a payment in lieu in accordance with this regulation.

(2) The payment in lieu will be equivalent to the short service award in regulation B2 to which the member would have been entitled had he qualified for a pension from the date of leaving, subject to the modification in paragraph (3).

(3) Regulation B2(1) of the Pension Regulations shall have effect as if, for the words “is or was required to retire on account of age”, there were substituted “retired under the terms of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve (Full-time) Severance Regulations 2006”.

(4) An applicant who is entitled to a payment in lieu will be entitled to commute a proportion of his payment in lieu under regulation B7(4)(b) (commutation – general provision) of the Pensions Regulations, in place of the commutation lump sum payable at 60 years.

Ill-health

12.—(1) This regulation applies when a member is eligible to—

(a) receive immediate benefits, or receives benefits, under the Scheme; and

(b) apply for ill-health benefits under regulation B3 (member’s ill-health award) or B5(4) (member’s deferred pension) of the Pensions Regulations.

(2) The benefits awarded under the Scheme shall be limited so that the sum of those benefits and benefits awarded under either regulation B3 or B5(4) of the Pensions Regulations shall not exceed the maximum applicable under regulation B3 or B5(4) of those Regulations respectively.

Injury on duty

13.—(1) This regulation applies to the payment of an injury pension to a member under regulation B4 (member’s injury award) of the Pensions Regulations.

(2) Where a member receives a severance lump sum payment under the Scheme and later receives an injury on duty gratuity under regulation B4, that gratuity under Regulation B4 shall be reduced in accordance with paragraphs (3) to (5).

(3) The sum by which the injury on duty payment shall be reduced is A – B, where—

• A = the sum equivalent to six months of the member’s severance lump sum payment, and

• B = the amount attributable to the unexpired period of the lump sum.

(4) If the unexpired period of the lump sum is 1 year or less, the member may elect to—

(a) repay the amount attributable to the unexpired period of the lump sum; or

(b) convert the amount attributable to the unexpired period of the lump sum into an annuity and deduct it from his minimum income guarantee as defined in the Pensions Regulations.

(5) Where paragraph (4)(b) applies, the annuity conversion shall be calculated as advised from time to time by the Government Actuary.

(6) In relation to Part 5 of Schedule B to the Pensions Regulations—

(a) the minimum income guarantee calculation under paragraph 2 of that Part shall take no account of any pensionable service enhancements under these Regulations; and

(b) the amount of an injury pension under paragraph 3 of that Part shall take account of pensionable service enhancements paid to the member under these Regulations.

Actuarially reduced pensions

14.—(1) A member who leaves the reserve service under the Scheme and is not immediately eligible to receive a pension, or payment in lieu of pension, may elect to receive an actuarially reduced pension.

(2) An actuarially reduced pension will be payable from the age of 50 to any member of the Scheme who so elects and who would be aged 50 or above on 6th April 2010.

(3) An actuarially reduced pension will be payable from the age of 55 to any member of the Scheme who so elects and to whom paragraph (2) does not apply.

(4) The amount to be paid will be calculated in accordance with a formula as advised by the Government Actuary from time to time.