The Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 2013
| Year | 2013 |
2013 No. 2356
PUBLIC SERVICE PENSIONS, ENGLAND AND WALES
The Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 2013
Made 12th September 2013
Laid before Parliament 19th September 2013
Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1
These Regulations are made in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 7 and 12 of, and Schedule 3 to the Superannuation Act 19721.
In accordance with section 7(5) of that Act, the Secretary of State consulted such associations of local authorities as appeared to the Secretary of State to be concerned; the local authorities with whom consultation appeared to the Secretary of State to be desirable; and such representatives of other persons likely to be affected by the Regulations as appeared to the Secretary of State to be appropriate.
The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations:
PART 1
Membership, contributions and benefits
Preliminary Provisions
Citation, commencement and extent
1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 2013 and save as is mentioned in paragraph (2), come into force on 1st April 2014.
(2) Regulation 2(3) and the definition of “actuarial guidance issued by the Secretary of State” in Schedule 1 (which require the Secretary of State to consult the Government Actuary’s Department before issuing actuarial guidance) come into force on 1st November 2013 for the purpose of enabling the Secretary of State to consult the Government Actuary’s Department and to issue guidance to have effect from 1st April 2014.
(3) These Regulations extend to England and Wales2.
Introductory
2.—(1) These Regulations establish a scheme for the payment of pensions and other benefits to or in respect of persons working in local government service, referred to in these Regulations as “the Scheme”.
(2) The Scheme manager responsible for the local administration of pensions and other benefits payable under these Regulations is referred to in these Regulations as the “administering authority”.
(3) The Secretary of State may, after consultation with the Government Actuary’s Department, issue actuarial guidance to administering authorities.
(4) Schedule 1 (interpretation) contains definitions of expressions used in these Regulations which apply for their interpretation unless the context indicates that they have a different meaning.
Membership
Active membership
3.—(1) Subject to regulation 4, a person is eligible to be an active member of the Scheme in an employment—
(a)
(a) if employed by a body listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2;
(b)
(b) if employed by a body listed in Part 2 of Schedule 2 and is designated, or belongs to a class of employees that is designated by the body, as being eligible for membership of the Scheme;
(c)
(c) if employed by an admission body and is designated, or belongs to a class of employees that is designated by the body under the terms of an admission agreement, as being eligible for membership of the Scheme; or
(d)
(d) if specified in the first column of the table in Part 4 of Schedule 2.
(2) In the case of a person eligible for membership by virtue of paragraph 1(d), the person specified in the second column corresponding to that member is deemed to be that member’s Scheme employer for the purposes of these Regulations.
(3) Subject to paragraph (4), a person eligible to be an active member of the Scheme in an employment becomes an active member on the day that person’s employment begins or (if later) the day the person becomes eligible for membership.
(4) A person who would, apart from this paragraph, be an active member of the Scheme by virtue of paragraph (3) who is employed under a contract of employment of less than three months does not become a member on the day specified in paragraph (3) but becomes an active member—
(a)
(a) on the member’s automatic enrolment date,
(b)
(b) if the person applies to become a member, or
(c)
(c) on the first day of the payment period following an extension to the contract of employment to be for three months or more,
whichever is the earliest.
(5) Where an administering authority enters into an admission agreement with an admission body—
(a)
(a) the admission agreement must comply with the requirements specified in paragraphs 3 to 12 of Part 3 of Schedule 2; and
(b)
(b) these Regulations apply to the admission body and to employment with the admission body in the same way as if the admission body were a Scheme employer listed in Part 2 of Schedule 2.
(6) A person who is eligible to be an active member in an employment, but who is not an active member in that employment—
(a)
(a) may apply in writing to the person’s Scheme employer to join the Scheme, and becomes an active member in that employment on the first day of the payment period following the application; but in any event,
(b)
(b) becomes an active member in an employment on the automatic enrolment date or automatic re-enrolment date relating to that employment.
(7) Subject to paragraph (8) and regulation 5(5) (person whose membership is less than three months treated as never having been a member), an active member has qualifying service for a period of two years if—
(a)
(a) that member has spent two years as an active member;
(b)
(b) a transfer value payment has been received in respect of rights accrued in a different occupational pension scheme or under a European pensions institution and the length of service in respect of which that person accrued benefits in that scheme was two or more years;
(c)
(c) the aggregate of the period the person has spent as an active member of the Scheme and of a different occupational pension scheme or European Pensions Institution in respect of which a transfer value payment has been accepted, is two years;
(d)
(d) a transfer value payment has been received in respect of rights accrued in a scheme or arrangement that does not permit a refund of contributions to the member;
(e)
(e) the member has paid National Insurance contributions whilst an active member and ceases active membership after the end of the tax year preceding that in which the member attains pensionable age;
(f)
(f) the member already holds a deferred benefit or is in receipt of a pension (other than a survivor’s pension or pension credit member’s pension) under these Regulations;
(g)
(g) a transfer value payment has been made to a qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme; or
(h)
(h) the member ceases active membership at age 75.
(8) The following periods do not count as periods of qualifying service for the purposes of these Regulations—
(a)
(a) any period for which contributions have been returned to the member;
(b)
(b) any period of membership derived from a non-contributory pension scheme or arrangement from which a transfer payment has been received and which is attached to the membership in respect of which contributions have been returned under regulation 18 (rights to return of contributions);
(c)
(c) any period in respect of which rights have been transferred to another registered pension scheme other than a qualifying recognised overseas pension scheme;
(d)
(d) any period in respect of which the member has been deprived of benefits under regulation 91 (forfeiture of pension rights after conviction for employment-related offences).
Restriction on eligibility for active membership
4.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) the following are not entitled to be active members in an employment—
(a)
(a) a person entitled to membership of another public service pension scheme in relation to that employment;
(b)
(b) a person aged 75 or over; or
(c)
(c) an employee of an admission body who is a member of another occupational pension scheme in relation to that employment.
(2) Paragraph (1)(a) does not apply to a person who is entitled to be a member of a National Health Pension Scheme (“an NHS Scheme”) for England and Wales if—
(a)
(a) the person’s entitlement to be a member of an NHS Scheme is by reason of employment by—
(i) a Care Trust designated under section 77 of the National Health Service Act 20063,
(ii) an NHS Scheme employing authority as a result of a prescribed arrangement under section 75 of that Act, or section 33 of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 20064, or
(iii) the Care Quality Commission as a result of a transfer of employment from the Commission for Social Care Inspection, in connection with its dissolution under Part 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 20085;
(b)
(b) the person is designated, or belongs to a class of employees that is designated as eligible for membership of the Scheme in an admission agreement made between an administering authority and one of the bodies specified in sub-paragraph (a)(i) to (iii);
(c)
(c) the person was an active member immediately before becoming employed by one of those bodies; and
(d)
(d) the person is not an active member of an NHS Scheme in relation to that employment.
(3) Paragraph (1)(a) does not apply to a member on reserve forces service leave who is entitled to be a member of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme if the member makes an election to the Scheme employer to remain a member of the Scheme.
Ending active membership
5.—(1) A person ceases to be an active member in an employment if that person ceases to be eligible for membership of the Scheme through that employment and membership in that employment ceases from the date that eligibility ceases.
(2) A person ceases to be an active member in an employment from the date specified in a written notice given by that person to that person’s Scheme employer that the person wishes to leave the Scheme.
(3) But an active member who gives notice under paragraph (2) specifying no date, or a date earlier than the date the notice is given, ceases to be an...
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