The Pension Sharing (Pension Credit Benefit) Regulations 2000

Bought out benefits

8.—(1) The scheme may provide for benefits different from those required to constitute pension credit benefit to be appropriately secured by a transaction to which section 19 of the 1993 Act applies (discharge of liability where guaranteed minimum pensions are secured by insurance policies or annuity contracts).

(2) Any scheme rule that allows the alternative described in this regulation must require the trustees or managers of the scheme to be reasonably satisfied that, except where paragraph (3) applies, the payment made to the insurance company is at least equal to the amount described in regulation 11.

(3) The exception to paragraph (2) is where the person entitled to the benefit is requiring the trustees or managers to provide the alternative by exercising his right to give a transfer notice under section 101F of the 1993 Act (power to give transfer notice).

(4) A scheme may allow the alternative described in this regulation to be provided without the consent of the person entitled to the pension credit where—

(a) the person entitled to the pension credit will be able to assign or surrender the insurance policy or annuity contract on the conditions set out in regulation 3 of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Discharge of Liability) Regulations 1997(1) (conditions on which policies of insurance and annuity contracts may be assigned or surrendered); and

(b) the requirements of paragraph (5) are satisfied.

(5) The requirements of this paragraph are that—

(a) the scheme is being wound up; or

(b) the trustees or managers of the scheme consider that, in the circumstances, it is reasonable for the scheme to provide the alternative without the consent of the person entitled to the benefit and the requirements of paragraph (6) are satisfied.

(6) The requirements of this paragraph are that all the conditions set out in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) are satisfied, namely—

(a) the trustees or managers of the scheme give the person entitled to the benefit at least 30 days' written notice of their intention to take out the insurance policy or enter into the annuity contract unless the person entitled to the benefit exercises a right to give a transfer notice under section 101F of the 1993 Act (the first mentioned notice being sent to that person at his last known address or delivered to that person personally); and

(b) when the trustees or managers of the scheme agree with the insurance company to take out the insurance policy or enter into the annuity contract, there is no outstanding transfer notice by the person entitled to the benefit under section 101F of the 1993 Act.

(7) For the purposes of this regulation “appropriately secured” means secured by an insurance policy or annuity contract to which regulation 5 applies.

(1)

S.I. 1997/784.