7 Amendment of regulation 18
In regulation 18 (connection where the staging profile does not apply)—
(a) for the heading, substitute “Connection for new or growing schemes”;
(b) for paragraph (1)(a) substitute—

“(a) a pension scheme does not exist at the reference date or has fewer than 100 relevant members at the reference date, but is established (if it did not exist previously) and has 100 or more relevant members at a scheme year end date on or after 1st April 2024”

;
(c) in paragraph (2)(b), for “staging deadline for the equivalent scheme type and size (as if it did exist at the reference date)” substitute “connection deadline that applies to a scheme which is covered by regulation 15(1)”;
(d) omit paragraph (3);
(e) for paragraph (4), substitute—

“4 Once a deadline applies pursuant to paragraph (2), that deadline remains fixed, unless—
(a) permission to defer connection is given under regulation 17, or
(b) all the members of the scheme become pensioner members.”

;
(f) in paragraph (5)(b), for “within the connection window referred to in paragraph (4)(b)” substitute “by no later than the deadline pursuant to paragraph (2)”.