Legislation – The Firefighters’ Pensions (Remediable Service) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023

PART 1
Introductory provisions

1 Citation and commencement

2 Interpretation

PART 2
Remediable service statements

4 Requirements relating to remediable service statements

PART 3
Decisions about the treatment of remediable service as a firefighter

CHAPTER 1 Opted-out service elections

5 Application and interpretation of Chapter 1

6 Election in relation to opted-out service

CHAPTER 2 Immediate choice decision for reformed scheme or legacy scheme benefits

7 Application and interpretation of Chapter 2

8 Immediate choice decision for reformed scheme or legacy scheme benefits: general

9 Immediate choice decision: additional requirements

10 Immediate choice decision: deemed election

CHAPTER 3 Deferred choice decision for reformed scheme or legacy scheme benefits

11 Application and interpretation of Chapter 3

12 Deferred choice decision for reformed scheme or legacy scheme benefits: general

13 Deferred choice decision to be made by M

14 Deferred choice decision to be made by a person other than M

15 Deferred choice decision: additional requirements

16 Deferred choice decision: deemed section 10 election

PART 4
Provision about divorce and dissolution arrangements

CHAPTER 1 Pension credit and pension debit members

SECTION 1 Application and interpretation of Chapter 1

17 Application and interpretation of Chapter 1

SECTION 2 Pension sharing orders: information provided before 1st October 2023

18 Application and interpretation of Section 2

19 Meaning of “alternative amount”

20 Information provided before 1st October 2023: calculating a remediable credit adjustment

21 Information provided before 1st October 2023: applying a remediable credit adjustment

22 Information provided before 1st October 2023: recalculating D’s reduction of benefit

SECTION 3 Information provided on or after 1st October 2023

23 Application and interpretation of Section 3

24 Information provided on or after 1st October 2023: calculation of pension credits and debits

25 Information provided on or after 1st October 2023: recalculating D’s reduction of benefit

CHAPTER 2 Arrangements on divorce, annulment or dissolution other than a pension sharing order

26 Arrangements other than a pension sharing order: calculating the value of pension benefits

PART 5
Voluntary contributions

27 Treatment of reformed scheme added pension payments

28 Treatment of legacy scheme added years payments

29 Remediable arrangements to pay voluntary contributions to secure legacy scheme added years

30 Disapplication of restriction on lump sum payments for reformed scheme added pension

PART 6
Transfers

CHAPTER 1 General

31 Interpretation of Part 6

32 Transferred out remediable service statements

CHAPTER 2 Transfers on a cash equivalent basis

SECTION 1 Transfers before 1st October 2023

33 Transfers out before 1st October 2023

34 Transfers in before 1st October 2023

SECTION 2 Transfers on or after 1st October 2023

35 Application of Section 2

36 Transfers out on or after 1st October 2023

37 Transfers in from a public service pension scheme on or after 1st October 2023

CHAPTER 3 Transfers on a club basis

SECTION 1 Club transfers before 1st October 2023

38 Club transfers out before 1st October 2023

39 Club transfers in before 1st October 2023

SECTION 2 Club transfers on or after 1st October 2023

40 Application of Section 2

41 Club transfers out on or after 1st October 2023

42 Club transfers in on or after 1st October 2023

SECTION 3 Variation of the club transfer application period

43 Variation of the club transfer application period

CHAPTER 4 Treatment of rights secured by virtue of a remediable value

44 Application and interpretation of Chapter 4

45 Remediable value treated as being in the legacy scheme

46 Treatment of rights to benefits secured by virtue of a remediable value

47 Benefits already paid in relation to transferred in remediable rights

48 Pension benefits and lump sum benefits in relation to a remediable value

PART 7
Provision about special cases

CHAPTER 1 Ill-health retirement

49 Application and interpretation of Chapter 1

50 M’s entitlement to ill-health benefits to be treated as equivalent in M’s alternative scheme

51 Entitlement to ill-health benefits where a remedy member’s legacy scheme is the FPS

52 Assessment and reassessment of certain transitional ill-health cases

CHAPTER 2 Miscellaneous special cases

53 Protection of the amount of pension payable to an eligible child

54 Payment of annual allowance tax charges and provision of information

PART 8
Immediate detriment cases

55 Treatment of immediate detriment cases

PART 9
Liabilities and payment

CHAPTER 1 Application of Part 9

56 Application of Chapters 1, 2 and 3

CHAPTER 2 Interest, compensation and netting off

58 Indirect compensation

59 Applications for compensation or indirect compensation

CHAPTER 3 Reduction and waiver of liabilities

61 Requirement to reduce liabilities by tax relief amounts

62 Power to reduce or waive amounts owed by a person to the scheme manager

63 Agreement to waive a liability owed by the scheme manager in respect of an immediate correction

CHAPTER 4 Payment of net liabilities

64 Application of Chapter 4

65 Payment of amounts owed to the scheme manager

66 Payment of amounts owed to a person

SCHEDULES

SCHEDULE Eligible decision-makers for deceased members

Explanatory note

Which version?
Latest available (Revised)
Original (As enacted)

PART 9Liabilities and payment

CHAPTER 2Interest, compensation and netting off

Indirect compensation
58.

(1)

This regulation applies where, pursuant to an application under regulation 59, the scheme manager determines that an immediate choice member (“M”) has incurred a compensatable loss26 that is a Part 4 tax loss27 (a “relevant loss”).

(2)

M is not to be paid an amount under section 23 of PSPJOA 2022 by way of compensation in respect of the relevant loss.

(3)

Instead, the amount of benefit payable under a firefighters’ pension scheme is to be increased to reflect the amount of the relevant loss in such manner as determined by the scheme manager in accordance with direction 10(2) to (4) of the PSP(NI) Directions 2023.