The Health and Social Care (Pension Scheme) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008

Distribution of pensionable earnings between principal dental practitioners employed or engaged by the same GDS provider

148.—(1) After the end of each financial year, each GDS provider must, by a date to be decided by the Department, send to the employing authority with which he is party to GDS arrangements, a notice in a format approved by the Department, specifying, in respect of that financial year—

(a) the pensionable earnings ceiling for those arrangements; and

(b) the amount of any monthly seniority payments, maternity leave payments, paternity leave payments, adoption leave payments, parental leave payments or sickness leave payments paid under the arrangements,

and how much of the practitioner income that relates to the service each principal dental practitioner that performed services under those arrangements is to be treated as having earned during that financial year (and those who are partners in, or directors of, the provider must be identified as such).

(2) An employing authority may, in exceptional circumstances, and with the agreement of the Department, extend the date decided by the Department in accordance with paragraph (1) by which notices are to be submitted.

(3) The notice from the GDS provider is invalid if—

(a) it contains information that is inaccurate or misleading in a material particular;

(b) it is not received by the due date (although the employing authority may accept replacement notices in appropriate circumstances);

(c) the total of the amounts specified in the notice in respect of each principal dental practitioner that performed services under GDS arrangements is greater than the total of the amounts referred to in paragraph (1)(a) and (b).

(4) If an employing authority has received a valid notice under this regulation, the amounts notified to it in respect of each principal dental practitioner mentioned in the notice are, for the financial year to which the notice relates, the pensionable earnings for that practitioner under the arrangements to which the notice relates.

(5) Despite paragraph (4), the employing authority may revise the amounts notified to it in appropriate circumstances (such as where it receives a valid replacement notice signed by all the principal dental practitioners who performed services under the arrangements).

(6) If an employing authority does not receive a valid notice under this paragraph from a GDS provider the pensionable earnings of each principal dental practitioner party to GDS arrangements for the financial year in respect of which the valid notice was required but not received are to be an equal share of the maximum amount of practitioner income that could be derived from that arrangement in that financial year (that is, the total of the amounts referred to in paragraph (1)(a) and (b)), less the difference between—

(a) that maximum amount; and

(b) the total of monthly amounts in respect of which estimated member contributions were paid on account during the financial year to which the earnings relate,

but if the total mentioned in sub-paragraph (b) is greater than the maximum amount referred to in sub-paragraph (a), then no amount is to be deducted pursuant to this paragraph.