Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Occupational Pension Schemes (Charges and Governance) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 so as to prohibit an annual flat fee from being charged to members with rights in the default arrangement of certain occupational pension schemes which would reduce the value of those rights to less than £100. They also ensure that where more than one flat fee charge is imposed in respect of a member in a single charges year, the trustees or managers of the scheme must restore the member’s rights under the default arrangement to the position they would have been in if only one such charge had been imposed.

As these Regulations 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 does not apply by virtue of paragraph 8 of Schedule 18 to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015.

An assessment of the cost to business of these Regulations is detailed in a Regulatory Impact Assessment, a copy of which has been laid in the Business Office and the Library of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Copies of the Assessment are available from the Department for Communities, Social Security Policy, Legislation and Decision Making Services, Level 6, Causeway Exchange, 1-7 Bedford Street, Belfast BT2 7EG or from the website: https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/articles/pension-information. A copy of the Assessment is also annexed to the Explanatory Memorandum which is available alongside this Statutory Rule on the website: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr.