3.A.5.—(1) In this Part, references to a member’s qualifying service, are references to the aggregate of the following periods—
(a)the member’s pensionable service under this Part other than such pensionable service as is referred to in regulation 3.A.3(1)(c) (meaning of “pensionable service”);
(b)in the case of a person in respect of whom a transfer value in respect of the person’s rights under another pension arrangement (including the 1995 Section) has been accepted under Chapter 3.F (transfers), a period equal to the person’s period as an active member in any occupational pension scheme in respect of which the rights accrued;
(c)any period treated as qualifying service under paragraph (3) or under regulation 3.A.6 (qualifying service: disregard of breaks in service);
(d)where the member ceased to be an active member under Part 2 less than 12 months before becoming a member under this Part, any period of qualifying service under Part 2;
(e)in the case of a person—
(i)who is eligible to join this Section of the scheme by virtue of regulation 3.B.1(5)(c) (eligibility: general); and
(ii)for whom the interval between leaving the 1995 Section and joining this Section of the scheme is less than one month,
a period equal to the period of qualifying service (within the meaning of the 2011 Regulations), measured in years and days, that the member was entitled to count under regulation C3 (meaning of “qualifying service”) of the 2011 Regulations when the member left the 1995 Section;
(f)in the case of a 2008 Section Optant, any period of qualifying service the member is entitled to count under Chapter 3.K (2008 Section Optants);
(g)in the case of a Waiting Period Joiner (as defined in regulation 3.L.1(2)), a period equal in length to the period of qualifying service which the member is entitled to count under the 1995 Section;
(h)in the case of a person who is eligible to join this Section of the scheme by virtue of regulation 3.B.1(5)(e), (g) or (h) (eligibility: general), a period equal in length to the period of qualifying service which the member is entitled to count under the 1995 Section; and
(i)any period of service which the member was entitled to count as qualifying service under section 3.A.5 (meaning of “qualifying service”) of the 2008 Regulations immediately before these Regulations came into force.
(2) Paragraph (3) applies if the member is a locum practitioner who—
(a)ceases to be engaged as such a practitioner and so ceases to be treated as being in pensionable service; and
(b)is re-engaged as a locum practitioner before the expiry of a period not exceeding three months from the date of such cessation.
(3) Where this paragraph applies—
(a)a locum practitioner is to be treated as continuing to be in qualifying service during the period of non-engagement as such a practitioner and is not required to re-join this Section of the scheme on being re-engaged as a locum practitioner; and
(b)that period does not count as practitioner service(1).
3.A.6.—(1) This regulation applies for the purpose of calculating the qualifying service of a member whose pensionable service ceases for an interval (other than in circumstances where regulation 3.A.5(3) (meaning of “qualifying service”) applies).
(2) Subject to paragraph (6), if the interval—
(a)does not exceed one month; or
(b)is due to a trade dispute,
the member’s qualifying service before and after the interval is to be treated as continuous for the purpose of calculating the member’s qualifying service after the interval (but the period of the interval is ignored).
(3) For the purposes of paragraph (2) it does not matter if the member’s pensionable service before the interval is treated separately from that after the interval for the purpose of calculating the member’s benefits.
(4) Subject to paragraph (6), if—
(a)a person who is an active member ceases to be employed in the employment that qualifies the person to belong to this Section of the scheme and becomes a deferred member, but not a pensioner member, in respect of the service in that employment; and
(b)after a period not exceeding 12 months the person becomes employed again in such an employment and becomes an active member again in that employment,
qualifying service in the earlier employment is to be treated as a single continuous period of qualifying service with that in the later employment.
(5) Subject to paragraph (6), if—
(a)a person who is an active member in an employment opts to cease to be such a member whilst continuing to be employed in the employment and becomes a deferred member, but not a pensioner member, in respect of that service; and
(b)after a period not exceeding 12 months the person becomes such an active member again in that employment,
qualifying service in the earlier period of active membership is to be treated as a single period of qualifying service with that in the later period of such membership.
(6) Where—
(a)the person has received a repayment of contributions under regulation 3.C.16 (repayment of contributions) in respect of the earlier period, paragraphs (4) and (5) do not apply (but see paragraph (7)); or
(b)the person’s rights under this Section of the scheme in respect of that period have been extinguished under regulation 3.F.7 (effect of transfers-out) because a transfer value payment has been made, paragraphs (2), (4) and (5) do not apply.
(7) Paragraph (6)(a) 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 on those contributions, before the expiry of the period of 6 months beginning with the date on which the member becomes a member again.
(8) If—
(a)a member is a deferred member or pensioner member in respect of the period of pensionable service before pensionable service ceases for an interval; and
(b)the periods of pensionable service before and after pensionable service ceases for an interval are not treated as a single period of continuous service under regulation 3.A.4(6) (pensionable service: breaks in service) or regulation 3.G.3(2)(a) (exception to general rule),
the period of pensionable service in respect of which the member is a deferred member or a pensioner member is to be treated as qualifying service in relation to the period after the interval.
For the other rules applying where there is a short break in service, see regulation 3.A.6 (qualifying service: disregard of breaks in service).