{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/pension-schemes-northern-ireland-act-1993/section-8A",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/pension-schemes-northern-ireland-act-1993/section-8A.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1993/49",
  "legislation_title": "Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/pension-schemes-northern-ireland-act-1993",
  "path": "section/8A",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "8A",
  "heading": "The statutory standard.",
  "text": "(1) Subject to the provisions of this Part, the scheme must, in relation to the provision of pensions for earners in employed earner’s employment, and for their widows, widowers or surviving civil partners, satisfy the statutory standard.\n(2) Subject to regulations made by virtue of section 5(2B)(c)(ii), in applying this section regard must only be had to—\n(a) earners in employed earner’s employment, or\n(b) their widows, widowers or surviving civil partners,\ncollectively, and the pensions to be provided for persons falling within paragraph (a) or (b) must be considered as a whole.\n(3) For the purposes of this section, a scheme satisfies the statutory standard if the pensions to be provided for such persons are broadly equivalent to, or better than, the pensions which would be provided for such persons under a reference scheme.\n(4) Regulations may provided for the manner of, and criteria for, determining whether the pensions to be provided for such persons under a scheme are broadly equivalent to, or better than, the pensions which would be provided for such persons under a reference scheme.\n(5) Regulations made by virtue of subsection (4) may provide for the determination to be made in accordance with guidance prepared by a prescribed body ....\n(6) The pensions to be provided for such persons under a scheme are to be treated as broadly equivalent to or better than the pensions which would be provided for such persons under a reference scheme if and only if an actuary (who, except in prescribed circumstances, must be the actuary appointed for the scheme in pursuance of Article 47 of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995) so certifies.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Ss. 8A-8D inserted (6.4.1996 for certain purposes otherwise 6.4.1997) by S.I. 1995/3213 (N.I. 22), art. 133(5); S.R. 1996/91, arts. 2(d)(h), Sch. Pt. IV"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Ss. 8A-8D repealed (6.4.2016) by Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 5), s. 53(3), Sch. 13 para. 11 (with savings until 6.4.2019 by S.R. 2016/106, arts. 1(1)(2), 2(1)(2) and with further savings in art. 2(3))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 8A(1) substituted (5.12.2005) by The Civil Partnership (Contracted-out Occupational and Appropriate Personal Pension Schemes) (Surviving Civil Partners) Order (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005/433), art. 1(3), Sch. 1 para. 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in s. 8A(2)(b) substituted (5.12.2005) by The Civil Partnership (Contracted-out Occupational and Appropriate Personal Pension Schemes) (Surviving Civil Partners) Order (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005/433), art. 1(3), Sch. 1 para. 3"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in s. 8A(5) repealed (29.2.2008) by Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (c. 1), s. 21(1), Sch. 5 para. 3, Sch. 6 Pt. 8; S.R. 2008/65, art. 2(b)(c)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1993/49/section/8A",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:34:31.493981+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}