The Judicial Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015

CHAPTER 5 General

General prohibition on unauthorised payments

160.  Nothing in these Regulations requires or authorises the making of any payment, which, if made, would be an unauthorised payment for the purposes of Part 4 (pension schemes etc.) of the 2004 Act (see section 160(5) (payments by registered pension schemes) of that Act).

Calculation of periods of membership and service

161.—(1) For the purposes of this scheme, periods of membership and service are to be expressed in the first instance in whole years, and days and fractions of a day, and the initial aggregation of periods that require to be aggregated is done in the first instance by reference to periods so expressed.

This is subject to paragraph (3).

(2) If, when all periods of membership or service that require to be aggregated have been aggregated, there is any excess part day over the number of whole days, that excess is rounded up to a full day.

This is subject to paragraph (3).

(3) If membership or service is referred to in these Regulations as membership or service in years—

(a) the days referred to in paragraph (1); and

(b) the full days referred to in paragraph (2),

are converted into years by dividing the number of days in excess of the period of whole years by 365, and using the result to 4 decimal places.

(4) If a period of membership or service is less than one year, this regulation applies as if the words “whole years, and” were omitted from paragraph (1) and the words “in excess of the period of whole years” were omitted from paragraph (3).

Determination of questions

162.—(1) Except as otherwise provided by these Regulations, any question arising under this scheme is to be determined by the scheme manager, whose decision on it is final.

(2) The scheme manager must, in consultation with the Judicial Pension Board, establish a procedure for the determination of disputes relating to members or other persons with an interest in the scheme.

(3) A procedure established under paragraph (2) must meet the requirements of Article 50 (requirement for dispute resolution arrangements) of the 1995 Order(1).

Evidence of entitlement

163.—(1) The scheme manager may require any person who is receiving a pension under this scheme to provide evidence to establish—

(a) the person’s identity; and

(b) the person’s continuing entitlement to payment of any amount.

(2) If the person does not provide the required evidence, the scheme manager may withhold the whole or any part of any benefits payable under this scheme in respect of the person.

Provision of benefit information statements to members

164.—(1) The scheme manager must provide benefit information statements to each active member of this scheme in accordance with—

(a) section 14 of the Act (information about benefits); and

(b) directions given under that section (“Department of Finance and Personnel directions”).

(2) The statement must contain the following information about the member’s benefits as at the date of the statement—

(a) the amount of each description of accrued pension specified in the active member’s account as at that date;

(b) the opening balance of each description of pension for that year and the index adjustment for that opening balance;

(c) the amount of each description of pension for that year as at that date; and

(d) any other information required by Department of Finance and Personnel directions.

Information to be provided by employers

165.—(1) An employer of a member of this scheme must, by such date as the scheme manager may specify, provide the scheme manager with such information as the scheme manager may request—

(a) in connection with the scheme manager’s or scheme administrator’s functions in relation to this scheme; or

(b) to enable the scheme manager or the Department of Justice to fulfil any obligations on the scheme manager or the Department of Justice set out in or under legislation.

Transitional provisions

166.  Schedule 2 has effect.

Modifying provisions and amendments

167.  Schedule 3 has effect.

(1)

S.I. 1995/3213 (N.I. 22); Article 50 was substituted by the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/255 (N.I. 1)) Article 250 and amended by the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (c. 1(N.I.)) section 14.