Regulation 2 InterpretationI1

In these Regulations—

• “PSPJOA 2022” means the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022;

• “WRP(NI)O 1999” means the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999^f1;

• “the FPS” means the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2007^f2;

• “the NFPS” means the New Firefighters’ Pension Scheme Order (Northern Ireland) 2007^f3;

• “the 2015 Regulations” means the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015^f4;

• “the PSP(NI) Directions 2023” means the Public Service Pensions (Exercise of Powers, Compensation and Information) Directions (Northern Ireland) 2023^f5;

• “deferred choice decision” has the meaning given in regulation 11(1);

• “deferred choice decision-maker” means the person who may make a deferred choice decision under regulation 11(2);

• “deferred choice member” means a member with remediable service as a firefighter who is not an immediate choice member;

• “deferred choice pension” means a pension the rate of which—

  1. (a)

     is not determined (by any extent) by reference to the member’s remediable service, as a firefighter, and

  2. (b)

     is not affected by the coming into force of section 2(1) of PSPJOA 2022;

• “eligible child” has, in relation to—

  1. (a)

     the FPS, the meaning given in articles 33 to 35 of that Order;

  2. (b)

     the NFPS, the meaning given in article 28 of Part 4 of that Order;

  3. (c)

     the 2015 Regulations, the meaning given in regulation 93 of those Regulations;

• “end of the section 10 election period”, in relation to a deferred choice member, means the time determined in accordance with—

  1. (a)

     where the member is the deferred choice decision-maker, regulation 13(3)(b);

  2. (b)

     where a person other than the member is the deferred choice decision-maker, regulation 14(2)(b);

• “firefighters’ pension scheme” means the FPS, the NFPS or the reformed scheme;

• “immediate choice decision” has the meaning given in regulation 8(1);

• “immediate choice decision-maker” means the person who may make an immediate choice decision under regulation 8(2);

• “immediate choice member” means a member with remedial service as a firefighter who, immediately before 1st October 2023, was deceased or entitled to the present payment of a pension, other than a deferred choice pension, under a firefighters pension scheme;

• “legacy scheme”, in relation to a member, means whichever of the FPS or the NFPS is the relevant Chapter 1 legacy scheme^f6 for the member, and “legacy scheme benefits” means benefits calculated in accordance with that scheme;

• “member” means an active, deferred, deceased or pensioner member of a firefighters’ pension scheme;

• “opted out service election” has the meaning given in regulation 6(1);

• “reformed scheme” means the pension scheme established by the 2015 Regulations, and “reformed scheme benefits” means the new scheme^f7 benefits under the reformed scheme;

• “remediable service as a firefighter” means, in relation to a member, the member’s remediable service^f8 in an employment or office that is pensionable service^f9 under a firefighters’ pension scheme;

• “remedy member” means a deferred choice member or an immediate choice member;

• “section 6 election” has the meaning given in regulation 8(1)(a);

• “section 10 election” has the meaning given in regulation 12(1)(a)

For the purposes of these Regulations, a reference in PSPJOA 2022 to section 2(1) of that Act coming into force is to be understood as a reference to that section coming into force in relation to members of a firefighters’ pension scheme.

A term used in these Regulations which—

has the meaning given in, or for the purposes of, that provision.

A term used in these Regulations which—

has, in relation to the scheme established by the relevant Regulations, the meaning given in those Regulations.

In these Regulations, a reference to a provision of the PSP(NI) Directions 2023 is a reference to that provision as amended from time to time.

The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 applies to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.