Pensions (No. 2) Act (Northern Ireland) 2008

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Pensions (No. 2) Act (Northern Ireland) 2008

An Act to make provision relating to pensions; and for connected purposes.

[15 th December 2008]

BE IT ENACTED by being passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly and assented to by Her Majesty as follows:

PART 1 PENSION SCHEME MEMBERSHIP FOR JOBHOLDERS

CHAPTER 1 EMPLOYERS' DUTIES

Jobholders

1.—(1) For the purposes of this Part a jobholder is a worker—

(a) who is working or ordinarily works in Northern Ireland under the worker’s contract,

(b) who is aged at least 16 and under 75 , and

(c) to whom qualifying earnings are payable by the employer in the relevant pay reference period (see sections 13 and 15).

(2) Where a jobholder has more than one employer, or a succession of employers, this Chapter applies separately in relation to each employment.

(3) Accordingly—

(a) references to the employer are references to the employer concerned;

(b) references to membership of a pension scheme are references to membership in relation to the employment concerned.

Employers' duties

Continuity of scheme membership

2.—(1) If a jobholder is an active member of a qualifying scheme, the employer must not take any action, or make any omission, by which (without the jobholder ceasing to be employed by the employer)—

(a) the jobholder ceases to be an active member of the scheme, or

(b) the scheme ceases to be a qualifying scheme.

(2) Subsection (1) is not contravened if the jobholder remains an active member of another qualifying scheme.

(3) Subsection (1) is not contravened if the jobholder becomes an active member of another qualifying scheme within the prescribed period.

(4) Subsection (1) is not contravened if the action or omission is at the jobholder’s request.

(5) In this Part as it applies in the case of any jobholder, references to a qualifying scheme are references to a pension scheme which is a qualifying scheme in relation to that jobholder (see section 16).

Automatic enrolment

3.—(1) This section applies to a jobholder who—

(a) is aged at least 22 , and

(b) has not reached pensionable age.

(2) The employer must make prescribed arrangements by which the jobholder becomes an active member of an automatic enrolment scheme with effect from the automatic enrolment date.

(3) Subsection (2) does not apply if the jobholder was an active member of a qualifying scheme on the automatic enrolment date.

(4) Subsection (2) does not apply if, within the prescribed period before the automatic enrolment date, the jobholder ceased to be an active member of a qualifying scheme because of any action or omission by the jobholder.

(5) For the purposes of arrangements under subsection (2) regulations may require information to be provided to any person by the employer or—

(a) where the arrangements relate to an occupational pension scheme, the trustees or managers of the scheme;

(b) where the arrangements relate to a personal pension scheme, the provider of the scheme.

(6) For the purposes of arrangements made under subsection (2) in relation to a personal pension scheme, regulations may deem an agreement to exist (subject to section 8) between the jobholder and the provider of the scheme for the jobholder to be an active member of the scheme on terms and conditions determined in accordance with the regulations.

(7) The automatic enrolment date, in relation to any person, is the first day on which this section applies to the person as a jobholder of the employer.

(8) In this Part as it applies in the case of any jobholder, references to an automatic enrolment scheme are references to a pension scheme which is an automatic enrolment scheme in relation to that jobholder (see section 17).

Postponement of automatic enrolment

4.—(1) The Department may by regulations provide that, in prescribed cases, the automatic enrolment date is a date, determined in accordance with regulations under this section, which is later than the date specified in section 3(7).

(2) Where a person becomes an active member of a scheme in accordance with regulations under this section, the employer must not take any action, or make any omission, by which within the minimum period—

(a) the person ceases to be an active member of the scheme, or

(b) the scheme ceases to be a scheme of the relevant kind.

(3) The minimum period is so much of a prescribed period as the person remains a jobholder of the employer.

(4) A scheme ceases to be a scheme of the relevant kind, in the case of any person, if it ceases to have a feature by reference to which regulations under this section operated so as to postpone the automatic enrolment date in that person’s case.

(5) Subsection (2) does not apply to any action or omission at the member’s request.

Automatic re-enrolment

5.—(1) This section applies to a jobholder who—

(a) is aged at least 22 , and

(b) has not reached pensionable age.

(2) The employer must make prescribed arrangements by which the jobholder becomes an active member of an automatic enrolment scheme with effect from the automatic re-enrolment date.

(3) Subsect...

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