The Firefighters’ Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015

CHAPTER 4 General

Calculation of periods of membership and service

184.—(1) Subject to paragraph (3), for the purposes of this scheme, periods of membership and service must be expressed in the first instance in whole years, and days or fractions of a day, and the initial aggregation of periods that require to be aggregated is done by reference to periods so expressed.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), 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.

(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),

must be converted into years by dividing the number of days in excess of the period of whole years by 365, and using the result to four 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).

Annual benefit information statements

185.—(1) The scheme manager must provide an annual benefit information statement to each of its members who are not pensioner members in respect of the pension account for which the statement is to be provided.

(2) The first such statements must be provided on or before 31st August 2016.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), subsequent statements must be provided at least once per year on or before 31st August of each year that follows.

(4) If a member requests in writing that a statement is provided to them after the end of a scheme year but before 31st August of the following scheme year, the scheme manager must provide an annual benefit information statement as soon as reasonably practicable in accordance with the member’s request, unless the relevant data to enable them to do so is not available.

(5) The statement provided to active members of this scheme must be in accordance with section 14 of the 2014 Act (information about benefits).

Evidence of entitlement

186.—(1) A scheme manager may by written notice require any person who is in receipt of a pension or may have an entitlement to a pension or a lump sum under this scheme to provide it with such supporting evidence as it may reasonably require to establish—

(a) the identity of that person; and

(b) that person’s continuing or future entitlement to the payment of any amount under this scheme.

(2) A notice under paragraph (1) must specify the date by which the supporting evidence is to be provided.

(3) Where a person fails to comply with the requirements of a notice given in accordance with paragraph (1), the scheme manager may withhold the whole or part of any amount that it otherwise considers to be payable under this scheme.

Information to be provided to a member before reserve forces service leave

187.  The scheme manager must give a member who is about to start on a period of reserve forces service leave a statement stating—

(a) the assumed pensionable pay for that member whilst on reserve forces service leave;

(b) the member contribution rate to apply during that period;

(c) details of any payments to be paid by the employer to the member whilst on reserve forces service leave; and

(d) the employer contribution which applies during that period.

Transitional provisions

188.  Schedule 2 has effect.

Duty to have regard to guidance

189.  The scheme manager must have regard to any guidance issued by the Department for the purposes of this Part.