15.—(1) In this Part references to rights accruing to a member of a scheme before 6th April 1997 include references—
(a)in relation to salary-related benefits, to rights accruing at any time in respect of service before that date; and
(b)in relation to benefits of any description, to rights that derive from any transfer of accrued rights or transfer payment and represent rights accruing under any other scheme before that date;
and a reference in this Part to rights accruing on or after that date shall be construed accordingly.
(2) For the purposes of this Part rights to money purchase benefits that are attributable to payments in respect of employment are rights accruing before 6th April 1997 in so far only as that employment was employment carried on before that date; and a reference in this Part to rights accruing on or after that date shall be construed accordingly.
(3) In this Part “salary-related benefits” means benefits that are not money purchase benefits.
(4) Expressions defined for the purposes of the Pension Schemes Act have the same meanings in this Part as they have in that Act.
(5) Regulations made by the Department under this Part shall be subject to negative resolution.
(6) The Department may by order make such modifications of paragraphs 12 to 14 as it considers appropriate.
(7) An order under sub-paragraph (6) shall be subject to negative resolution.
(8) Section 177(2) to (4) and (6) of the Pension Schemes Act (orders and regulations (general provisions)) shall apply—
(a)to any power of the Department to make regulations under this Part, and
(b)to the power of the Department to make an order under sub-paragraph (6),
as it applies to its powers to make regulations and orders under that Act.
(9) In section 173(a) of the Pension Schemes Act (managers of schemes), for the words from “or Part IV” to “1999” there shall be substituted “, Part IV or V of the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 or Part II of Schedule 5 to the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2000”.