Statutory Rule 2001 No. 119

      The Stakeholder Pension Schemes (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001


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STATUTORY RULES OF NORTHERN IRELAND


2001 No. 119

PENSIONS

The Stakeholder Pension Schemes (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

  Made 15th March 2001 
  Coming into operation 5th April 2001 

The Department for Social Development, in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 3(2), 10(2)(b) and (3), 41(1) and (6), 50(1), (2)(a), (3) and (7) and 166(1) to (3) of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995[1] and Articles 3(1)(b), (3), (5) and (7), 5(1), (3)(b), (5) and (9)[2] and 73(4) of the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999[3], and now vested in it[4], and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation
     1.  - (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Stakeholder Pension Schemes (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 and shall come into operation on 5th April 2001.

    (2) In these Regulations any reference to a numbered regulation or numbered Schedule is a reference to the regulation or Schedule bearing that number in the Stakeholder Pension Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000[
5].

Amendment of regulation 1
     2.  - (1) Regulation 1 (citation, commencement and interpretation) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (4).

    (2) In paragraph (2) for "and Part IV shall come into operation on 8th October 2001" there shall be substituted - 

      " and - 

      (a) regulation 23 shall come into operation on 6th April 2001, and

      (b) Part IV (except regulation 23) shall come into operation on 8th October 2001".

    (3) In paragraph (3) - 

    (a) after the definition of "beneficiary" there shall be inserted the following definition - 

      " "scheme instruments" means instruments establishing a stakeholder pension scheme;".

    (4) After paragraph (7) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

        " (8) In paragraph (3), references in the definition of "dilution levy" to - 

      (a) the Financial Services (Regulated Schemes) Regulations 1991 are references to those Regulations, and

      (b) the Financial Services (Open-Ended Investment Companies) Regulations 1997 are references to those Regulations,

    as in force on 15th March 2001.".

Amendment of regulation 3
     3.  - (1) Regulation 3 (requirements applying to all stakeholder pension schemes as regards instruments establishing such schemes)[8] shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (5).

    (2) In paragraph (1)[9] for "the instruments establishing a stakeholder pension scheme (the "scheme instruments")" there shall be substituted "the scheme instruments".

    (3) In paragraph (5A)[10] for "Subject to paragraphs (10) and (11) and to regulation 17(1)," there shall be substituted "Subject to paragraph (10) and to regulation 17(1) and (5),".

    (4) After paragraph (5A) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

        " (5B) The scheme instruments must, except to the extent necessary to ensure that the scheme has tax-exemption or tax-approval, permit as means of payment of contributions to the scheme payment from a bank account or building society account by - 

      (a) cheque;

      (b) direct debit;

      (c) standing order;

      (d) direct credit (other than standing order),

    and (for the avoidance of doubt) for the purposes of this paragraph, those means of payment do not include payment by cash, credit card or debit card (or by any combination thereof).".

    (5) Paragraph (11)[11] shall be omitted.

Amendment of regulation 4
     4.  - (1) Regulation 4 (additional requirements as regards instruments establishing a stakeholder pension scheme established under a trust)[12] shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

    (2) In paragraph (3) for "The instruments establishing a stakeholder pension" there shall be substituted "The scheme instruments of a".

    (3) In paragraph (4)(a) for "or by this regulation" there shall be substituted ", by this regulation or by regulation 6".

Amendment of regulation 8
     5. In regulation 8(6) (requirement applying to all stakeholder pension schemes as regards investments) for the definition of "contract of insurance" there shall be substituted the following definition - 

Amendment of regulation 10
     6.  - (1) Regulation 10 (requirement for manager of schemes not established under a trust to have regard to certain matters, and to take advice, relating to investment) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (7).

    (2) In paragraph (4) after "proper advice as to whether the investment" there shall be inserted "or investment option".

    (3) After paragraph (4) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

    (4) In paragraph (5) for "For the purposes of paragraph (4)" there shall be substituted "For the purposes of this regulation".

    (5) In paragraph (6) for "Paragraph (4) does not apply" there shall be substituted "Paragraphs (4) and (4A)(b) do not apply".

    (6) In paragraph (7) - 

    (7) For paragraph (8) there shall be substituted the following paragraph - 

Amendment of regulation 11
    
7.  - (1) Regulation 11 (requirement for manager of schemes not established under trust to appoint a reporting accountant) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (10).

    (2) In paragraph (1) for "Subject to paragraph (2), for" there shall be substituted "For".

    (3) Paragraph (2) shall be omitted.

    (4) For paragraph (3) there shall be substituted the following paragraph - 

    (5) For paragraph (4) there shall be substituted the following paragraph - 

    (6) In paragraphs (6) to (8), for "manager" in each place where it occurs there shall be substituted "trustees or manager".

    (7) In paragraph (7) - 

    (a) after "in the event of his resignation" there shall be inserted "(including where he resigns solely or partly because he is required to do so by paragraph (7A))", and

    (b) for sub-paragraph (ii) there shall be substituted the following - 

        " (ii) a declaration that he knows of no such circumstances,

           but for the purposes of this paragraph, such circumstances shall not include the mere fact of his being, or having become, ineligible as mentioned in paragraph (7A).".

    (8) After paragraph (7) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

        " (7A) Where the reporting accountant is or becomes ineligible, by virtue of not satisfying the conditions in paragraph (4), for his appointment as such - 

      (a) he shall not act as the reporting accountant (except if required to do so under paragraph (6), and except as required by his agreement under paragraph (7) and as required by sub-paragraphs (c) and (d));

      (b) anything done for the purposes of these Regulations by him acting as such while ineligible in contravention of sub-paragraph (a) shall by the trustees or manager be taken for those purposes not to have been done;

      (c) he shall resign (with immediate effect) by notice in writing immediately he is or becomes aware, or, as the case may be, should reasonably be or become aware, that he is or has become so ineligible;

      (d) he shall state in that notice - 

        (i) that he is resigning by reason of ineligibility, and

        (ii) the ground on which he is or has become so ineligible;

      (e) notwithstanding sub-paragraph (c), if he is still in place when the trustees or manager are or become aware, or should reasonably be or become aware, that he is or has become so ineligible, the trustees or manager shall remove him immediately.".

    (9) In paragraph (8) - 

    (a) for "Where" there shall be substituted "Except in cases falling within paragraph (9), where", and

    (b) for the words "shall appoint" to the end there shall be substituted - 

             " shall appoint, in accordance with this regulation, another reporting accountant - 

      (a) within 3 months of the date of that removal, resignation or death, or

      (b) if earlier, as soon as is required in order not to prevent compliance with regulation 12(5) and (6).".

    (10) After paragraph (8) there shall be inserted the following paragraphs - 

        " (9) Where under paragraph (7A) the reporting accountant resigns with immediate effect or is removed, the trustees or manager shall appoint, in accordance with this regulation, another reporting accountant - 

      (a) within one month of the date of that resignation or removal, or

      (b) if earlier, as soon as is required in order not to prevent compliance with regulation 12(5) and (6).

        (10) In this regulation references to a person are references to an individual, a body corporate or a partnership.".

Amendment of regulation 12
     8.  - (1) Regulation 12 (requirement for annual declaration) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (6).

    (2) In paragraph (2) for sub-paragraphs (a) to (d) there shall be substituted the following sub-paragraphs - 

    (3) Paragraph (4) shall be omitted.

    (4) In paragraph (5) - 

    (5) In each of paragraphs (6) and (7) - 

    (6) After paragraph (7) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

Amendment of regulation 13
    
9.  - (1) Regulation 13 (expenses, commission etc. - principles) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

    (2) After paragraph (2) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

    (3) After paragraph (3) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

Amendment of regulation 14
     10.  - (1) Regulation 14 (charges, etc. - permitted reductions in members' rights) shall be amended in accordance with paragraph (2).

    (2) In paragraph (5) - 

Amendment of regulation 15
    
11.  - (1) Regulation 15 (requirement for trustees or manager to satisfy certain conditions in relation to with-profits funds) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

    (2) In paragraph (3)(c) for "auditor or reporting accountant to certify that the requirements of regulations 13 and 14 have been complied with" there shall be substituted "reporting accountant to make the statement mentioned in regulation 12(5)(a)(i) so far as that statement relates to regulation 12(2)(d)(ii)".

    (3) In paragraph (4) - 

Amendment of regulation 17
    
12.  - (1) Regulation 17 (restrictions on contributions) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

    (2) In paragraph (1) for "the rules of a stakeholder pension scheme" there shall be substituted "the scheme instruments".

    (3) After paragraph (4) there shall be added the following paragraphs - 

Amendment of regulation 18
    
13.  - (1) Regulation 18 (disclosure of information to members) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (10).

    (2) For paragraph (2) there shall be substituted the following paragraph - 

    (3) In paragraph (3) - 

    (4) After paragraph (3) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

    (5) In paragraph (4) - 

    (6) After paragraph (4) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

    (7) In paragraph (5) - 

    (8) After paragraph (5) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

        " (5A) The information mentioned in paragraph (5) does not include - 

      (a) the amount of any reduction or deduction under any of paragraphs (2) to (4) of regulation 14;

      (b) the amount of any reduction under regulation 14(5)(c).".

    (9) In the second consecutively shown paragraph (9) for "(9) For the purposes of" there shall be substituted "(10) For the purposes of".

    (10) After paragraph (10) as so renumbered there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

        " (11) In this regulation "annual percentage rate" means the daily percentage rate at which deductions were made under regulation 14(2), (3) or (4) (being no greater than 1/365 per cent. of the value of the fund, share or rights in the with-profits fund respectively from which they were made) multiplied by 365.".

Amendment of regulation 22
     14.  - (1) Regulation 22 (exemptions from employer access and consultation requirements) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (7).

    (2) In paragraph (2)(a) for "(other than any employee who has not attained the age of 18)" there shall be substituted "(except any employee who has not attained the age of 18, and except any employee in respect of whom paragraph (8) is satisfied)".

    (3) In paragraph (4) - 

    (4) After paragraph (4) there shall be inserted the following paragraphs - 

    (5) In each of paragraphs (5) and (6) for "the purposes of paragraphs (3) and (4)" there shall be substituted "the purposes of paragraphs (3) to (4B)".

    (6) For paragraph (8) there shall be substituted the following paragraphs - 

    (7) In paragraph (9)(b) - 

Amendment of regulation 23
    
15.  - (1) Regulation 23 (definition of relevant employees) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

    (2) In paragraph (1) - 

    (3) After paragraph (2) there shall be inserted the following paragraph - 

Amendment of regulation 24
    
16.  - (1) Regulation 24 (payroll deduction of contributions) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (6).

    (2) In paragraph (1) - 

    (3) In paragraph (2) - 

    (4) After paragraph (2) there shall be inserted the following paragraphs - 

    (5) For paragraph (3) there shall be substituted the following paragraph - 

    (6) After paragraph (5) there shall be added the following paragraphs - 

Amendment of regulation 25
    
17.  - (1) Regulation 25 (disclosure of information to relevant employees) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

    (2) In paragraph (1) for "to make or vary (but not cease)" there shall be substituted "to make (but not vary or cease)".

    (3) In paragraph (2) - 

Amendment of Schedule 2
    
18.  - (1) Schedule 2 (regulations applying to schemes which are or have been registered under Article 4) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

    (2) Before the entry for "The Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996" there shall be inserted the following - 

    (3) After the entry for "The Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996" there shall be inserted the following - 

The Occupational Pension Schemes (Requirement to obtain Audited Accounts and a Statement from the Auditor) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997[21] The whole of the Regulations except regulations 2(1)(b) and 4 of, and paragraph 5 of the Schedule to, the Regulations.".


Transitional provision
     19. Where, prior to the coming into operation of these Regulations, the reporting accountant appointed for the purposes of regulation 11 has been removed or has resigned or died, regulation 11(8) shall, for the purposes of appointing the next reporting accountant after him for the purposes of regulation 11, continue to have effect as in operation immediately prior to the coming into operation of these Regulations.



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


15th March 2001.

L.S.


John O'Neill
Senior Officer of the Department for Social Development


EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)


These Regulations are the second set of amendments to the Stakeholder Pension Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 ("the principal Regulations"). The principal Regulations are amended to do (among other things) the following - 

    to provide that those who are not employees of the employer on the date of commencement of consultation do not have to be consulted; and to bring regulation 23 into operation from the same date (6th April 2001) as Article 5 (partially) of the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999. Article 5 is being partially commenced earlier than 8th October 2001 to allow valid consultation and designation for the purposes of Article 5 prior to 8th October 2001; (amendments to regulations 1 and 23)

    to make different provision as to means of payment of contributions; (new regulations 3(5B) and 17(5))

    to include the provisions required by regulation 6 among the provisions which the trust instruments are not allowed to enable to be modified or disapplied; (amendment to regulation 4(4))

    to expand on the requirements relating to investments and investment options; and to clarify existing provisions; (amendments to regulation 10)

    to clarify that a reporting accountant must be appointed for a scheme established under a trust; to impose additional requirements for eligibility for appointment as the reporting accountant; to provide for what should happen if he is or becomes ineligible; to provide that a partnership can be a reporting accountant; to provide that time limits for appointment of a replacement reporting accountant are to be shortened in certain cases; (new regulations 11(10) and 12(8) and other amendments to regulation 11)

    to change the required content of the trustees' or manager's annual declaration under regulation 12, and of the statements to be obtained from the reporting accountant; and to make related changes; (amendments to regulations 12 and 15)

    to provide for an additional ground of refusal of contributions; (new regulation 17(6))

    to allow different statement years under regulation 18 to be chosen for different persons; to revise the existing provisions as to the start date for a statement year. All statement year start dates already chosen will be overridden by the amendments to regulation 18. The earliest start date in all cases will be 6th April 2001. In some cases, the start date will automatically be 6th April 2001, in others, a fresh choice will have to be made (within new time limits); (amendments to regulation 18)

    to change and clarify what information is to be provided under regulation 18; (new regulation 18(5A) and (11) and amendments to regulation 18(5))

    in relation to the exemptions in regulation 22, to clarify how paragraphs (2) and (8) work in relation to each other; to except employees under 18 from paragraph (8); to clarify "arrangement" in paragraph (4)(a) (see new paragraph (4A)); to remove any overlap between paragraph (4)(a) and (b); to avoid contributions being regarded as not made in accordance with paragraph (3) merely because the employee makes contributions at a higher rate than the employer (the employer must make contributions at at least the rate specified in respect of contributions to be made by the employee, rather than at the actual rate at which the employee is paying); to require paragraph (2)(b) (among other things) to be satisfied for the paragraph (8) exemption to apply; to make paragraph (8) workable in cases where contributions made by the employer are subject to the condition that the employee make contributions to the same scheme at a specified rate; (new paragraphs (8)(b) to (8C))

    to prescribe additional exceptions to the definition of "relevant employees"; (amendments to regulation 23)

    to change and clarify provisions governing deductions of contributions from remuneration, including providing for additional grounds of non-compliance with requests as to such deductions; (amendments to regulations 24 and 25)

    to ensure that there remains a time limit for appointment of a replacement reporting accountant in relation to removal, resignation or death which occur prior to the amendment of regulation 11(8) (transitional provision).

As these Regulations, in so far as they are made under Part II of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in regulations made by the Secretary of State for Social Security in relation to Great Britain, the requirement for consultation does not apply by virtue of Article 117(2)(e) of that Order.


Notes:

[1] S.I. 1995/3213 (N.I. 22); Article 3(2) was amended by paragraph 7 of Schedule 2 to, paragraph 33 of Schedule 9 to, and Schedule 10 to, the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/3147 (N.I. 11))back

[2] Article 5(9) is cited because of the power conferred in the meaning of the expression "relevant employees"back

[3] S.I. 1999/3147 (N.I. 11)back

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

[5] S.R. 2000 No. 262, amended by S.R. 2001 No. 13back

[6] Not a statutory instrument. Published by the Financial Services Authority, London, 1997. Release 199, as amended by Release 203. The regulations form part of the Financial Services Authority Rulebook, and can be obtained, together with amendments, from the Financial Services Authority, 25 The North Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HS. They are also available on the internet at http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/rules/index-1999.html (for Release 199) and at http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/rules/index-2000.html (for Release 203). They are made under sections 52, 81, 85, 86(3), 87(4) and (5), 88(10) and 90 of the Financial Services Act 1986 (c. 60). As to instruments under that Act, see paragraphs 4 to 9 of Schedule 9 to that Act. Paragraph 7 of that Schedule was amended by S.I. 1996/2827back

[7] Not a statutory instrument. Published by the Financial Services Authority, London, 1997. Release 200, as amended by Releases 204 and 211. The regulations form part of the Financial Services Authority Rulebook, and can be obtained, together with amendments, from the Financial Services Authority, 25 The North Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HS. They are also available on the internet at http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/rules/index-1999.html (for Release 200) and at http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/rules/index-2000.html (for Releases 204 and 211). They are made under regulation 6 of the Open-Ended Investment Companies (Investment Companies with Variable Capital) Regulations 1996 (S.I.1996/2827) and under the Open-Ended Investment Companies (Investment Companies with Variable Capital) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (S.R. 1997 No. 251), to which there are amendments not relevant to these regulationsback

[8] Regulation 3 was amended by S.R. 2001 No. 13back

[9] Paragraph (1) was amended by S.R. 2001 No. 13back

[10] Paragraph (5A) was inserted by S.R. 2001 No. 13back

[11] Paragraph (11) was inserted by S.R. 2001 No. 13back

[12] Regulation 4 was amended by S.R. 2001 No.13back

[13] 1982 c. 50back

[14] S.I. 1990/593 (N.I. 5)back

[15] S.R. 1997 No. 56, to which there are amendments not relevant to these regulationsback

[16] Section 155 was amended by paragraph 33 of Schedule 1 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995back

[17] Article 89 was amended by paragraph 46 of Schedule 9 to the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/3147 (N.I. 11)); Article 90 was amended by paragraph 47 of Schedule 9 to, that Order and Article 91 was amended by paragraph 48 of Schedule 9 to that Order. See also S.R. 1997 No. 153, amended by S.R. 1999 No. 309back

[18] S.R. 1997 No. 153, amended by S.R. 1999 No. 309back

[19] Section 93 was amended by paragraph 6 of Schedule 4 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 5 to the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2000 (c. 4 (N.I.))back

[20] S.R. 1996 No. 203, amended by S.R. 1999 No. 486back

[21] S.R. 1997 No. 40; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1997 Nos. 160 and 544 and S.R. 2000 No. 107back



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