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

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Introduction

PART 1
Introductory provisions

1 Title, application and coming into force

2 Interpretation

3 Delegation

PART 2
Remediable Service Statements

4 Requirement to provide a remediable service statement

PART 3
Decisions in relation to remediable service

CHAPTER 1 Opted-out service elections

5 Application and interpretation of Chapter 1

6 Election in relation to opted-out service

7 Opted-out service election: additional requirements

8 Opted-out service election: lapse

CHAPTER 2 Immediate choice decision for 2015 scheme or legacy scheme benefits

9 Application and interpretation of Chapter 2

10 Immediate choice decision for 2015 scheme or legacy scheme benefits

11 Immediate choice decision: additional requirements

12 Immediate choice decision: deemed decision

CHAPTER 3 Deferred choice decision for 2015 scheme or legacy scheme benefits

13 Application and interpretation of Chapter 3

14 Deferred choice decision for 2015 scheme or legacy scheme benefits: general

15 Deferred choice decision to be made by M

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

17 Deferred choice decision: additional requirements

18 Deferred choice decision: deemed decision

19 Deferred choice decision: transitional arrangements

PART 4
Provision about divorce and dissolution arrangements

CHAPTER 1 Pension credit and pension debit members

SECTION 1 Application and interpretation of Chapter 1

20 Application and interpretation of Chapter 1

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

21 Application and interpretation of Section 2

22 Meaning of “alternative amount”

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

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

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

SECTION 3 Information provided on or after 1 October 2023

26 Application and interpretation of Section 3

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

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

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

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

PART 5
Voluntary contributions

30 Treatment of 2015 scheme added pension payments

31 Treatment of legacy scheme added years payments

32 Remedial arrangements to pay voluntary contributions to secure legacy scheme added years

33 Disapplication of restriction on lump sum payments for 2015 scheme added pension

PART 6
Transfers

CHAPTER 1 General

34 Interpretation of Part 6

35 Transferred out remediable service statements

CHAPTER 2 Transfers on a cash equivalent basis

SECTION 1 Transfers before 1 October 2023

36 Transfers out before 1 October 2023

37 Transfers in before 1 October 2023

SECTION 2 Transfers on or after 1 October 2023

38 Application of Section 2

39 Transfers out on or after 1 October 2023

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

CHAPTER 3 Transfers on a club basis

SECTION 1 Club transfers before 1 October 2023

41 Club transfers out before 1 October 2023

42 Club transfers in before 1 October 2023

SECTION 2 Club transfers on or after 1 October 2023

43 Application of Section 2

44 Club transfers out on or after 1 October 2023

45 Club transfers in on or after 1 October 2023

SECTION 3 Variation of the club transfer application period

46 Variation of the club transfer application period

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

47 Application and interpretation of Chapter 4

48 Remediable value treated as being in the legacy scheme

49 Treatment of rights to benefits secured by virtue of remediable value

50 Benefits already paid in relation to transferred in remediable rights

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

PART 7
Provision about special cases

CHAPTER 1 Ill-health retirement

52 Application and interpretation of Part 7

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

54 Entitlement to ill-health benefits where a remedy member’s legacy scheme is the 1992 scheme

55 Assessment and reassessment of certain transitional ill-health cases

CHAPTER 2 Miscellaneous special cases

56 Payment of annual allowance tax charges and provision of information

PART 8
Immediate detriment cases

57 Treatment of immediate detriment cases

PART 9
Liabilities and payment

CHAPTER 1 Application of Part 9

58 Application of Part 9

CHAPTER 2 Interest, compensation and netting off

59 Interest

60 Indirect compensation

61 Applications for compensation or indirect compensation

62 Netting off

CHAPTER 3 Reduction and waiver of liabilities

63 Requirement to reduce liabilities by tax relief amounts

64 Waiver of amounts owed by a relevant survivor to the scheme manager

65 Waiver of amounts owed by a relevant separated person to the scheme manager

66 Power to reduce or waive amounts owed by a personal representative to the scheme manager

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

CHAPTER 4 Payment of net liabilities

68 Application and interpretation of Chapter 4

69 Payment of amounts owed to the scheme manager

70 Payments of amounts owed to a person

SCHEDULES

SCHEDULE Eligible decision-makers for deceased members

Signature

Explanatory note

PART 6Transfers

CHAPTER 2Transfers on a cash equivalent basis

SECTION 1Transfers before 1 October 2023

Transfers out before 1 October 2023
36.

(1)

This regulation applies in relation to a member (“M”) in respect of whom the scheme manager paid a remediable transfer value before 1 October 2023.

(2)

The scheme manager, having consulted the scheme actuary, must calculate the transfer value of M’s remediable rights as if they were secured in—

(a)

M’s legacy scheme;

(b)

the 2015 scheme.

(3)

The scheme manager must notify the receiving scheme of the results of the calculation mentioned in paragraph (2).

(4)

Where—

(a)

the greater of the amounts calculated under paragraph (2) (“x”) is greater than

(b)

the amount of the remediable transfer value (“y”),

the scheme manager must take reasonable steps to pay the receiving scheme an amount (“the remediable amount”) equal to x – y.

(5)

A payment under paragraph (4) is subject to the same conditions as the remediable transfer value.

(6)

Where—

(a)

paragraph (4) applies, and

(b)

the scheme manager, having taken reasonable steps, is unable to make the payment required by that paragraph,

the scheme manager owes M or, where M is deceased, M’s personal representatives an amount by way of compensation equal to x – y (“the compensatable amount”) reduced in accordance with paragraph (7).

(7)

Where, if the compensatable amount was paid immediately after the requirement to pay it arose, the payment—

(a)

would be a payment described in regulation 6 of the Registered Pension Schemes (Authorised Payments) Regulations 200919 (“the 2009 Regulations”) as if regulation 6(1)(a) of those Regulations were omitted, the compensatable amount is to be reduced by the amount equal to the income tax that would be chargeable on it as if regulation 3(b) of the 2009 Regulations applied to it;

(b)

would not be a payment so described, the compensatable amount is to be reduced by an amount equal to the income tax that would be charged on the amount at M’s marginal rate under the Income Tax Acts.

(8)

In this regulation—

(a)

the Income Tax Acts” means all enactments relating to income tax, including any provisions of the Corporation Tax Acts which relate to income tax, and

(b)

the Corporation Tax Acts” means the enactments relating to the taxation of the income and chargeable gains of companies and of company distributions (including provisions relating to income tax).

Transfers in before 1 October 2023
37.

(1)

This regulation applies in relation to each payment of a remediable transfer value in respect of a member (“M”) which was accepted by the scheme manager before 1 October 2023.

(2)

The scheme manager, having consulted the scheme actuary, must determine M’s—

(a)

overall rights in relation to the remediable transfer value in the legacy scheme;

(b)

benefits if the remediable transfer value, together with any payment accepted under paragraph (3), were applied in respect of rights in the 2015 scheme.

(3)

Where the sending scheme was a public service pension scheme, the scheme manager may accept a payment—

(a)

in respect of the remediable rights to which the remediable transfer value relates, and

(b)

which is made by the sending scheme pursuant to, or to provision made under, the PSPJOA 2022.

(4)

A payment accepted under paragraph (3) is to be used for the purpose of determining M’s benefits under a firefighters’ pension scheme on the same terms as the remediable transfer value.

SECTION 2Transfers on or after 1 October 2023

Application of Section 2
38.

(1)

This Section applies in respect of a member (“M”) who is—

(a)

a deferred choice member, and no pension benefits have become payable in relation to M’s remediable service, or

(b)

an immediate choice member, and—

(i)

the end of the section 6 election period has not passed in relation to M, and

(ii)

no immediate choice decision has been made in relation to M’s remediable service.

Transfers out on or after 1 October 2023
39.

(1)

This regulation applies to a remediable transfer value payment to be paid in relation to M by the scheme manager on or after 1 October 2023.

(2)

The scheme manager, having consulted the scheme actuary, must calculate the transfer value of M’s remediable rights as if those rights had been in—

(a)

M’s legacy scheme;

(b)

the 2015 scheme.

(3)

The amount of the remediable transfer value is the greater of the amounts calculated under paragraph (2).

Transfers in from a public service pension scheme on or after 1 October 2023
40.

(1)

This regulation applies in relation to a remediable transfer value—

(a)

which is accepted by the scheme manager on or after 1 October 2023, and

(b)

where the sending scheme is a public service pension scheme.

(2)

The scheme manager, having consulted the scheme actuary, must determine—

(a)

M’s overall rights in relation to the remediable transfer value in the legacy scheme;

(b)

M’s benefits if the remediable transfer value were applied in respect of rights in the 2015 scheme.