Discontinuance and resumption of periodical contributions
8.—(1) An authority may—
(a)at the request of a firefighter member who has elected to purchase additional service by the payment of periodical contributions; and
(b)solely on the grounds of his financial circumstances,
agree to discontinue the making of deductions from his pay by way of such contributions.
(2) Where the firefighter member and the authority agree that deductions should be discontinued for a period not exceeding six months (“the discontinuance period”), the authority shall resume the making of deductions as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of that period or, at the request of the firefighter member, at such time before the end of that period as may be agreed.
(3) Where the firefighter member and the authority agree that deductions should be discontinued for a period of six months or more, the member’s election under rule 6 shall be treated as cancelled with effect from the date of the agreement.
(4) The period of additional service purchased up to the date on which the last contribution was deducted shall be treated as if it were the period ascertained in accordance with the formula:
A is the number of 60ths of additional service which the firefighter member elected to purchase,
B is the period in respect of which contributions have been made, and
C is the period in respect of which contributions would have been made in accordance with the election (disregarding for this purpose any deemed cancellation under paragraph (3)).
(5) Subject to paragraph (6), where—
(a)deductions were discontinued under paragraph (2), and
(b)the firefighter member wishes to purchase additional service referable to the discontinuance period,
a deduction of an amount equal to the aggregate of the contributions that would otherwise have been made in respect of that period shall be made on the same occasion as the first resumed deduction is made.
(6) Where the firefighter member’s rate of pay at the end of the discontinuance period is less than at the beginning of that period, deductions in respect of the discontinuance period shall be made at the rate that would have applied if deductions had been made from his salary during that period.