Explanatory note

These Regulations amend The Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014 (the 2014 Regulations) (S.R. 2014/290). The 2014 Regulations established a scheme for the payment of pensions and other benefits to civil servants and other eligible persons (“the alpha scheme”).

These Amendment Regulations address the impact of retrospective pay awards and other arrears payments on employee contributions, address other anomalies requiring adjustments in employee contribution thresholds and set member contribution rates for scheme year commencing 1st April 2019.

Regulation 3(a) provides for any payment of an arrears amount to be excluded from the annualisation process when calculating the rate of annual pensionable earnings figure when determining the percentage contribution rate payable in any pay period. Regulations 3(b) and 3(c) update the member contribution rates payable from 1st April 2019 onwards.

The Regulations come into operation on 1st April 2019.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this statutory rule as no impact on the costs of business or the voluntary sector is foreseen.