PART 2BENEFITS FOR OFFICERS
CHAPTER 2.AINTRODUCTION
Pensionable service
Meaning of “pensionable service”
2.A.3.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), in this Part references to a member’s “pensionable service” are references to the aggregate of the following periods—
(a)any period of service in respect of which the member contributes to this Section of the scheme under regulation 2.C.1 (contributions by members);
(b)any period of absence from service which counts as pensionable service under regulation 2.A.5 (pensionable service: breaks in service);
(c)any period of service credited to the member as pensionable service under Chapter 2.F (transfers);
(d)any period of pensionable service which the member is entitled to count under Chapter 2.K (2008 Section Optants); and
(e)any period of service which the member was entitled to count as pensionable service under regulation 2.A.2 (meaning of “pensionable service”) of the 2008 Regulations immediately before these Regulations came into force.
(2) A member’s pensionable service does not include—
(a)any period of service in respect of which the Scottish Ministers have paid contributions to another occupational pension scheme in respect of the member;
(b)in the case of a pensioner member or deferred member, any period taken into account—
(i)in determining the member’s entitlement to the pension in payment or, as the case may be, the deferred pension; or
(ii)in calculating the amount of that pension,
but, in the case of a pensioner member or deferred member entitled to a pension under regulation 2.D.5 (partial retirement: members aged at least 55) this is subject to paragraph (6);
(c)any period of service in respect of which the Scottish Ministers’ liability to provide benefits is discharged—
(i)by the payment of a contributions equivalent premium under section 55(2) (payment of state scheme premiums on termination of certified status) of the 1993 Act(1);
(ii)under regulation 2.C.18 (repayment of contributions); or
(iii)by the payment of a transfer value payment on transfer-out under Chapter 2.F (transfers); or
(d)subject to paragraph (3), any period of service which would result in the aggregate mentioned in paragraph (1) exceeding 45 years.
(3) A member’s pensionable service must not exceed 45 years unless—
(a)the member gives notice in writing to the Scottish Ministers and the member’s employing authority of an intention to remain in pensionable service beyond 45 years; and
(b)that notice is received by the Scottish Ministers and the member’s employing authority—
(i)not earlier than three months before the member reaches 45 years pensionable service; and
(ii)by the end of the pay period during which the member reaches the 45 year limit.
(4) If the notice required by paragraph (3) has been properly received and the member has pensionable service in excess of 45 years—
(a)benefits under this Part must be calculated by reference to a maximum of 45 years of pensionable service; and
(b)the Scottish Ministers must select the years by reference to which the benefits are to be calculated, selecting the years which produce the most favourable result for the member.
(5) If, when the employment in which a person is an active member ceases, a payment is made in respect of untaken leave, for the purposes of this Part—
(a)the member’s pensionable service is to be treated as continuing for a period equal to the period of leave in respect of which payment is made; and
(b)the payment is to be treated as the member’s pensionable pay for that period.
(6) In the case of a pensioner member or deferred member entitled to a pension under regulation 2.D.5 (partial retirement: members aged at least 55), paragraph (2)(b) only applies to so much of the member’s pensionable service as is mentioned in regulation 2.D.5(9)(a).
(7) Where a member is also a member of the 1995 Section, any reference in this Part to “45 years” must be taken to be a reference to a shorter period determined by the formula—
where—
SP is the shorter period, measured in years and days; and
LPS is the length of pensionable service (within the meaning of the 2011 Regulations), measured in years and days, giving rise to membership of the 1995 Section and, in the case of a member of that Section who has become entitled to a pension (including a preserved pension) under that Section, including any period that was taken into account for the purpose of determining whether the member was entitled to that pension, or for the purpose of calculating the amount of that pension.
Meaning of “pensionable service”: part-time service
2.A.4.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) to (6), the number of days of a member’s pensionable service in part-time employment for a period is calculated by multiplying the total hours of employment during the period by 7, and dividing the result by the number of hours of employment per week for a comparable whole-time employment.
(2) If the part-time employment is for a specified number of sessions per week, subject to paragraphs (3) to (6)—
(a)paragraph (1) does not apply; and
(b)the number of days of the member’s pensionable service in the part-time employment for the period is calculated by multiplying the number of sessions of employment during the period by 7, and dividing the result by the number of sessions per week of the length of the specified sessions for a comparable whole-time employment.
(3) If during the period for which a part-time employment is held there is an alteration—
(a)in the case of an employment to which paragraph (1) applies, in the number of hours of employment per week for a comparable whole-time employment; or
(b)in the case of an employment to which paragraph (2) applies, in the number of specified sessions per week or the length of those sessions for a comparable whole-time employment,
separate calculations must be made under paragraph (1) or, as the case may be, paragraph (2) for the periods before and after the alteration.
(4) If, apart from this paragraph, a member’s pensionable service in respect of the part-time employments held for a period, calculated in accordance with paragraph (1) or (2), would exceed that period, the excess is ignored.
(5) Paragraphs (1) and (2) do not apply for the purposes of regulation 2.A.3(3) (meaning of “pensionable service”), and for those purposes part-time employments held concurrently are treated as a single employment.
(6) Temporary additional sessions are to be ignored in calculating a member’s pensionable service in a part-time employment.
Pensionable service: breaks in service
2.A.5.—(1) Paragraph (2) applies if a member is absent from work because of—
(a)illness or injury;
(b)maternity leave;
(c)adoption leave;
(d)paternity leave; or
(e)parental leave.
(2) The period of absence counts as pensionable service if the member contributes to this Section of the scheme under regulation 2.C.1 (contributions by members) in respect of the period of absence.
(3) If a member is on leave of absence that does not fall within paragraph (1)(a) to (e), and contributes to this Section of the scheme under regulation 2.C.1 by contributions made at the same intervals as those made by the member before the absence, the maximum period of such leave that can be counted as pensionable service under this paragraph is—
(a)where the member contributes for a continuous period of 6 months commencing with the first day of the member’s leave of absence, 6 months; and
(b)where the member contributes for a continuous period of less than 6 months commencing with the first day of the member’s leave of absence, the period in respect of which the member pays those contributions.
(4) If, having paid contributions for the period mentioned in paragraph (3)(a) a member remains on a leave of absence that does not fall within paragraph (1)(a) to (e) and contributes to this Section of the scheme both member contributions under regulation 2.C.1 and employer contributions under regulation 2.C.5 (contributions by employing authorities: general) by contributions made at the same intervals as those made by the member before the absence, the maximum period of such leave that can be counted as pensionable service under this paragraph is—
(a)where the member contributes for a continuous period of 18 months commencing immediately after the expiry of the period mentioned in paragraph (3)(a), 18 months; and
(b)where the member contributes for a continuous period of less than 18 months commencing immediately after the expiry of the period mentioned in paragraph (3)(a), the period in respect of which the member pays those contributions.
(5) This paragraph applies if a person—
(a)ceased to be an active member because of—
(i)ceasing to be employed in an employment in which the person is eligible to be such a member; or
(ii)exercising the option under regulation 2.B.6 (opting out of this Section of the scheme); and
(b)less than 12 months after the date on which the person ceased to be an active member becomes such a member again.
(6) If paragraph (5) applies, the person’s pensionable service before the person ceased to be an active member and after the person became such a member again is to be treated as a single continuous period of pensionable service, unless paragraph (7) applies(2).
(7) This paragraph applies if—
(a)the person does not become a deferred member in respect of the pensionable service before the break in which the person was an active member;
(b)the person has received a repayment of contributions under regulation 2.C.18 (repayment of contributions) in respect of that service (but see paragraph (9)); or
(c)the person’s rights under this Section of the scheme in respect of that service have been extinguished under regulation 2.F.7 (effect of transfers-out) because a transfer value payment has been made in respect of them.
(8) In the case of a member who leaves pensionable service whilst absent from work because of—
(a)illness or injury;
(b)maternity leave;
(c)adoption leave;
(d)paternity leave; or
(e)parental leave,
this regulation applies as if the reference to 12 months in paragraph (5)(b) were a reference to three years.
(9) Paragraph (7)(b) does not apply if the person repays to the Scottish Ministers any contributions repaid to the person as mentioned in that paragraph, together with any interest paid to the person on those contributions, before the expiry of the period of 6 months beginning with the date on which the person becomes an active member again.
Section 55 was amended by section 141(1) of, and Part 3 of Schedule 7 to, the Pensions Act 1995 (c.26), paragraph 7(1)(a) of Schedule 2 to the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 19999 (c.30), S.I. 2005/2050 and Part 6 of Schedule 7 to the Pensions Act 2007 (c.22).
Where paragraph (6) applies in respect of the service in which the person was an active member and becomes an active member again, see Chapter 2.G (re-employment and rejoining the scheme).