Pension Schemes Act 1993

1 (1) In relation to employments which are or at any time have been contracted-out employments, and to the operation of schemes by reference to which employments are or have been contracted-out, regulations may make provision generally as to the circumstances in which an earner’s employment is or is not to be treated as having begun, or as having come to an end and, in particular, as to the matters mentioned in sub-paragraphs (2) to (4). E+W+S

(2) Regulations may make provision for treating an earner’s employment which ends before a person succeeds to the business of the earner’s employer as having been employment under the employer’s successor.

(3) Regulations may make provision—

(a) for changes in an earner’s employment due to the death of an employer or another cause, or any cesser of contracted-out employment so due, to be disregarded; or

(b) for employment under one employer to be treated as a continuation of that under another and any contracting-out certificate issued to, or election made by, the former employer to be treated as issued to or made by the latter.

(4) Regulations may also make provision—

(a) for temporary interruptions in an earner’s employment or contracted-out employment to be disregarded; and

(b) for the employment in either case to be treated as continuing during the interruption.

(5) References in this paragraph to an earner’s employment beginning or ending shall include references to his employment becoming or ceasing to be contracted-out employment.