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Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland


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STATUTORY RULES OF NORTHERN IRELAND


2006 No. 297

PENSIONS

The Occupational Pension Schemes (Winding up Procedure Requirement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006

  Made 3rd July 2006 
  Coming into operation 24th July 2006 

The Department for Social Development, being a Department designated[1] for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972[2], in relation to matters relating to personal and occupational pensions makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by that section, sections 109(1) and 177(2) to (4) of the Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993[3], and now vested in it[4], and Articles 55(2)(h), 64(2)(a) and 287(3) of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005[5].

Citation, commencement and interpretation
     1. —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Occupational Pension Schemes (Winding up Procedure Requirement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 and shall come into operation on 24th July 2006.

    (2) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954[
6] shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

Amendment of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order
     2. After Article 210 of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (powers of the Regulator) insert—

Amendment of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations
     3. In regulation 7(1) of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland)1997[10] (availability of other documents)[11] after sub-paragraph (d) insert—

Amendment of the Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Regulations
     4. In regulation 3 of the Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005[13] (registrable information)—

Amendment of the Occupational Pension Schemes (Scheme Funding) Regulations
     5. —(1) The Occupational Pension Schemes (Scheme Funding) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005[14]shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

    (2) In regulation 8 (recovery plan) omit paragraph (8).

    (3) In regulation 17 (exemptions - general)—



Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on


3rd July 2006

L.S.


John O'Neill
A senior officer of the Department for Social Development


EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)


These Regulations implement paragraph (c) of Article 16.2 of the European Union Directive 2003/41/EC on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision (OJ No. L 235, 23.9.03, p.10) ("the Directive").

Regulation 2 inserts Article 210A into the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 ("the 2005 Order"). Paragraph (1) of that Article provides that the trustees or managers of a scheme must prepare a winding up procedure as soon as reasonably practicable after a scheme begins to wind up during the recovery period. Paragraph (8) defines "the recovery period" as the period specified in the scheme's recovery plan in accordance with Article 205(2)(b) of the 2005 Order. Paragraph (2) provides that the winding up procedure must include specified information. Paragraph (6) provides that the trustees or managers must send a copy of the winding up procedure to the Pensions Regulator as soon as reasonably practicable after it has been prepared or revised. Paragraph (7) provides that penalties under Article 10 of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 apply to a trustee or manager who has failed to take all reasonable steps to ensure compliance with the requirements of Article 210A of the 2005 Order.

Regulation 3 amends the Occupational Pension Schemes (Disclosure of Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 to require the trustees or managers of a scheme to disclose an outline of the winding up procedure to the members of the scheme and their representatives.

Regulation 4 amends the Register of Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 to prescribe that where a scheme begins to wind up during the recovery period, the date the winding up of the scheme commenced is registrable information for the purposes of Article 55(2)(h) of the 2005 Order.

Regulation 5 amends the Occupational Pension Schemes (Scheme Funding) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 to remove the disclosure provision in regulation 8 as a consequence of regulation 4 of these Regulations. It also amends regulation 17 enabling Article 210A of the 2005 Order to apply to a scheme in respect of which a recovery plan has been prepared under Article 205 of that Order and the scheme begins to wind up during the recovery period.

As these Regulations, in so far as they are made under the 2005 Order, make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in regulations made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to Great Britain, the requirement to consult under Article 289(1) of the Order does not apply by virtue of paragraph (2)(e) of that Article.

The transposition of Article 16.2(c) of the Directive is detailed in a Transposition Note, a copy of which has been laid in the Business Office and the Library of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Copies of the Note are available from the Department for Social Development, Social Security Policy and Legislation Division, Level 1, James House, 2-4 Cromac Avenue, Gasworks Business Park, Ormeau Road, Belfast BT7 2JA.


Notes:

[1] See Schedule 2 to the European Communities (Designation) (No. 7) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/3328)back

[2] 1972 c. 68back

[3] 1993 c. 49; section 109 was amended by section 48 of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2000 (c. 4 (N.I.)), paragraph 13 of Schedule 10 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/255 (N.I. 1)) and paragraph 15 of the Schedule to S.R. 2005 No. 434back

[4] See Article 8(b) of S.R. 1999 No. 481back

[5] S.I. 2005/255 (N.I. 1)back

[6] 1954 c. 33 (N.I.)back

[7] Article 205 is modified in respect of schemes undertaking cross-border activities by S.R. 2005 No. 568 and in respect of schemes that are subject to the regulatory own funds requirement by S.R. 2005 No. 570back

[8] S.I. 1995/3213 (N.I. 22)); Article 74(3) was amended by paragraph 45 of Schedule 9 to the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/3147 (N.I. 11)), Article 60 of S.I. 2002/1555 and Article 247(2)(c) of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005back

[9] Article 10 was amended by paragraph 9 of Schedule 2 to the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 and Schedule 11 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005back

[10] S.R. 1997 No. 98; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 2005 No. 568back

[11] The heading was substituted by paragraph 6(5)(a) of Schedule 3 to S.R. 2005 No. 568back

[12] The definition of "the 2005 Order" was inserted by paragraph 6(2)(a) of Schedule 3 to S.R. 2005 No. 568back

[13] S.R. 2005 No. 93back

[14] S.R. 2005 No. 568; those Regulations are modified in their application to an occupational pension scheme that is subject to the regulatory own funds requirement by S.R. 2005 No. 570back



ISBN 0 337 96575 7


 © Crown copyright 2006

Prepared 6 July 2006


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