The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2019

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2019 No. 60

Public Service Pensions

The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2019

Made

22nd March 2019

Coming into operation

1st April 2019

The Department of Finance makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 2(1) and 3(1), (2) and (3) to the Public Service Pensions (Northern Ireland) Act 2014(1).

In accordance with section 21 of that Act, the Department has consulted the representatives of such persons as appear to the Department likely to be affected by these Regulations.

Citation and commencement

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2019.

(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on 1st April 2019.

Amendments to the Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014

2.  The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014(2) are amended as follows.

Amendment of regulation 134

3.  In regulation 134 (Rate of member contributions)—

(a) for paragraph (4), substitute—

“(4) In this regulation—

(a) for the purpose of calculating the rate of member contributions, pensionable earnings are determined in relation to each pay period and are the sum of;

(i) the member’s basic amount of pensionable salary; and

(ii) the member’s permanent pensionable allowances; and

(iii) the member’s fluctuating pensionable earnings;

(b) the member contributions rate during scheme year 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020 is the relevant percentage rate set out in the table in this regulation, which applies to a member’s annualised rate of pensionable earnings calculated in relation to each payment of a member’s pensionable earnings;

(c) for the purpose of this regulation, the total pensionable earnings in relation to a payment excludes any arrears or retrospective element when determining the member’s annualised rate of pensionable earnings;

(d) the Department must, having considered the advice of the scheme actuary, determine the pensionable earnings bands and contribution percentage rates in the table set out in this regulation in respect of each subsequent scheme year.”;

(b) omit each of the four tables after regulation 134(8);

(c) after regulation 134(8) insert—

“Scheme Year 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020

Annualised rate of pensionable earnings		Member contributions rate
	Transition members from Section II of the PCSPS(NI)	Other transition members and non-transition members
Up to but not including £15,001	4.6%	4.6%
£15,001 to but not including £23,501	4.6%	4.6%
£23,501 to but not including £54,501	5.45%	5.45%
£54,501 to but not including £150,001	7.35%	7.35%
£150,001 and above	8.05%	8.05%”

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance on 22nd March 2019.

(L.S.)

Grace Nesbitt

A senior officer of the

Department of Finance

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 (the 2014 Regulations) (S.R. 2014/290). The 2014 Regulations established a scheme for the payment of pensions and other benefits to civil servants and other eligible persons (“the alpha scheme”).

These Amendment Regulations address the impact of retrospective pay awards and other arrears payments on employee contributions, address other anomalies requiring adjustments in employee contribution thresholds and set member contribution rates for scheme year commencing 1st April 2019.

Regulation 3(a) provides for any payment of an arrears amount to be excluded from the annualisation process when calculating the rate of annual pensionable earnings figure when determining the percentage contribution rate payable in any pay period. Regulations 3(b) and 3(c) update the member contribution rates payable from 1st April 2019 onwards.

The Regulations come into operation on 1st April 2019.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this statutory rule as no impact on the costs of business or the voluntary sector is foreseen.

(1)

2014 c.2 (N.I.)

(2)

S.R. 2014/290, as amended by S.R. 2015/81, S.R. 2015/181 and S.R. 2016/34