Joining and leaving the scheme
Joining this Section of the scheme
2.B.5.—(1) Subject to paragraph (3), a person in NHS employment who is eligible to be an active member of this Section of the scheme, becomes such a member, unless absent from work for any reason, on either—
(a)the commencement of the person’s employment; or
(b)where the person has previously opted out of this Section of the scheme under regulation 2.B.6(1) and is a person to whom section 3 (automatic enrolment) or section 5 (automatic re-enrolment) of the 2008 Act applies, on that person’s—
(i)automatic enrolment date; or
(ii)automatic re-enrolment date, except where the notice referred to in regulation 2.B.6(1) was given within the period of 12 months immediately preceding that date.
(2) A person who is eligible to be such a member by virtue of falling within regulation 2.B.1(3)(b) (eligibility: general) may opt to become such a member by giving notice in writing to the employing authority.
(3) A person who has previously exercised an option to opt out of this Section of the scheme in accordance with regulation 2.B.6(1) in respect of an employment in which that person was an active member, and who remains eligible to be an active member in respect of that employment, may opt to join or re-join this Section of the scheme by giving notice in writing to the employing authority in such form as the Scottish Ministers require.
(4) A notice under paragraph (3) takes effect—
(a)from the beginning of the first pay period to begin after the notice is received by the employing authority; or
(b)if the notice specifies a date that is the first day of a later pay period, from that date.
(5) A notice under paragraph (3) may not be given by a person who is absent from work for any reason.
Opting out of this Section of the scheme
2.B.6.—(1) A person who is an active member of this Section of the scheme in any NHS employment may opt at any time to cease to be an active member by giving notice in writing to the person’s employing authority.
(2) A person who opts out under paragraph (1) ceases to be an active member of this Section of the scheme on the date the notice takes effect.
(3) The notice takes effect—
(a)from the beginning of the first pay period to begin after the notice is received by the employing authority; or
(b)if the notice specifies a later date, from the beginning of the first pay period after that in which the specified date falls.
(4) A person to whom regulation 2.B.5(1)(a) applies in respect of an employment who gives notice in writing under paragraph (1) within one month of the date of commencing that NHS employment, is to be treated as not having become an active member by virtue of that regulation.
(5) A notice under paragraph (1) ceases to have effect on the day immediately preceding, as the case may be, the person’s—
(a)automatic enrolment date; or
(b)automatic re-enrolment date, except where the notice was given within the period of 12 months immediately preceding that date.
(6) This regulation does not apply to a person to whom section 3, 5 or 8 of the 2008 Act(1) and regulation 9 or 15 of the 2010 Regulations(2) apply (that is, a person who is subject to automatic enrolment or automatic re-enrolment in this Section of the scheme as a qualifying scheme who does not wish to participate in it) but this paragraph does not affect the rights of such a person who subsequently becomes a member of this Section of the scheme in circumstances where those provisions of the 2008 Act and 2010 Regulations do not apply.
Restriction on further participation in this Section of the scheme
2.B.7.—(1) A person who ceases to meet conditions A, B and C in regulation 2.B.1 (eligibility: general) in an employment or is prevented by regulation 2.B.3 (restrictions on eligibility: general) or 2.B.4 (concurrent employments) from continuing to be an active member in an employment ceases to be an active member of this Section of the scheme in that employment.
(2) Accordingly—
(a)a person falling within paragraph (1) may not make any further contributions to this Section of the scheme under Chapter 2.C; and
(b)any further service of the person is not pensionable service for the purposes of this Section of the scheme.
Section 3 makes provision for the automatic enrolment of a qualifying worker into a qualifying scheme like the NHS Superannuation Scheme for Scotland. Section 5 makes provision for the automatic re-enrolment of such a person into such a scheme who has previously opted out of it. Section 8 makes provision for the opting out of such a scheme, including the effect of such an opt out.
Regulation 9 sets out the requirements for a valid opt out notice and the time period during which a person who has been automatically enrolled into a qualifying scheme may opt out of it. Regulation 15 applies the provisions of regulation 9 to a person who has been automatically re-enrolled into a qualifying scheme having previously opted out of it. Note that regulation 11 deals with the refund of contributions following an opt out.