CHAPTER I
PENSION FUNDS AND EMPLOYERS' PAYMENTS
Pension funds
The pension funds
72. The bodies responsible
for maintaining pension funds for the Scheme immediately before the commencement
date must continue to maintain them unless the fund is vested in a different
body by or under any enactment.
Appropriate funds
73. - (1) The
appropriate fund for a member or a person who is entitled to any benefit in
respect of a person who has been a member is-
the fund so specified for a member of his description when he ceased to
be an active member; and
(c) in the case of any other deferred or a pensioner member, the fund specified
for him by virtue of regulation 19 of the Transitional Regulations.
(2) Where these Regulations refer to payments being
made without referring to the fund to which or from which they are to be made,
the reference is to payments being made to or from the fund which is the appropriate
fund for the member in question.
(3) Paragraph (2) does not apply where the payments
are made under Chapter IV of Part III (AVCs and SCAVCs).
Admission agreement funds
74. - (1) An administering
authority who have made an admission agreement may establish a further pension
fund (an "admission agreement fund") in addition to the fund maintained under
regulation 73 ("the main fund").
(2) Immediately after an authority establishes an admission
agreement fund they must give the Secretary of State notice in writing that
they have done so.
(3) The notice must specify the admission bodies whose
employees are eligible for benefits from the admission agreement fund ("the
transferred bodies").
(4) Where an admission agreement fund is established,
assets of such value as an actuary appointed by the appropriate administering
authority determines to be appropriate must be transferred from the main fund
to the admission agreement fund.
(5) When valuations under regulation 76 of both the
main fund and the admission fund are first obtained after the admission agreement
fund is established, the administering authority must obtain a transfer statement
from the actuary appointed by them.
(6) The transfer statement must specify whether in the
actuary's opinion there is a need for further assets to be transferred from
the main fund to the admission agreement fund, and, if so, the value of those
assets.
(7) Where the transfer statement specifies that assets
of a specified value need to be transferred, the administering authority must
arrange for assets of that value to be transferred as soon as is reasonably
practicable.
(8) Where an admission agreement fund is established,
the liabilities of the main fund as respects membership in employment with the
transferred bodies become liabilities of the admission agreement fund.
Accounts and audit
75. After any audit of any
pension fund of theirs an administering authority shall immediately send copies-
(a) of the revenue account and balance sheet of the fund; and
(b) of any report by the auditor,
to each body whose employees are active members.
75. —(1) After any audit of any pension fund of theirs an administering authority shall immediately send copies–
(a) of the revenue account and balance sheet of the fund; and
(b) of any report by the auditor,
to each body whose employees are active members.
(2) The input period for the purposes of section 238 of the Finance Act 2004 is the year ending 31st March 2007 and each year ending 31st March thereafter. (SI2006/468)
Funding strategy statement (SI2005/293)
75A. - (1) Each
administering authority shall, after consultation with such persons as they
consider appropriate, prepare, maintain and publish a written statement setting
out their funding strategy.
(2) In preparing and maintaining the statement, the
administering authority shall have regard to-
(a) the guidance set out in the document published in March 2004 by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy ("CIPFA"), and called "CIPFA Pensions Panel Guidance on Preparing and Maintaining a Funding Strategy Statement (Guidance note issue No.6)"; and
(b) the statement of investment principles published by the administering authority under regulation 9A of the Local Government Pension Scheme (Management and Investment of Funds) (Scotland) Regulations 1998].
(3) The first such statement shall be published on
or before 31st March 2006.
(4) The statement shall be revised and published by
the administering authority following, and in accordance with, any-
(a) material change in their policy on the matters set out in the statement; and
(b) material change to the statement of investment principles under regulation 9A(4) of the Local Government Pension Scheme (Management and Investment of Funds) (Scotland) Regulations 1998.
Actuarial valuations and certificates
76. - (1) Each
administering authority must obtain-
(a) an actuarial valuation of the assets and liabilities of each of their pension funds as at 31st March in 1999 and in every third year afterwards;
(b) a report by an actuary; and
(c) a rates and adjustments certificate.
(2) Each of these documents must be obtained before
the first anniversary of the date ("the valuation date") as at which the valuation
is made or such later date as the Secretary of State may agree.
(3) A rates and adjustments certificate is a certificate
specifying-
(a) the common rate of employer's contribution; and
(b) any individual adjustments,
for each year of the period of three years beginning with 1st April in the
year following that in which the valuation date falls.
(4) The common rate of employer's contribution is the
amount which in the actuary's opinion should be paid to the fund by all bodies
whose employees contribute to it so as to secure its solvency, expressed as
a percentage of the pay of their employees who are active members.
(5) The actuary must have regard-
(5A) The actuary must have regard to the administering authority's funding strategy statement published under regulation 75A. (SI2005/293)
(6) An individual adjustment is any percentage or amount by which in the actuary's
opinion contributions at the common rate should in the case of a particular
body be increased or reduced by reason of any circumstances peculiar to that
body.
(7) A rates and adjustments certificate must contain
a statement as to the assumptions on which the certificate is given as respects-
during the period covered by the certificate.
(8) A report under paragraph (1)(b) must contain a statement
as to the demographic assumptions used in making the valuation, showing how
they relate to the events which have actually occurred in relation to members
of the Scheme since the last valuation.
(9) The authority must provide the actuary preparing
a valuation or a rates and adjustment certificate with the consolidated revenue
account of the fund and such other information as he requests.
(10) The authority must send copies of any valuation,
report or certificate under this regulation or revision under regulation 77
to-
(a) the Secretary of State;
(b) each body with employees who contribute to the fund in question; and
(c) any other body which is or may become liable to make payments to that fund.
(11) They must also send the Secretary of State-
Special circumstances where revised actuarial valuations and certificates
must be obtained
77. - (1) When
obtaining a transfer statement under regulation 74(5)
an administering authority must also obtain from the actuary a rates and adjustments
certificate for the admission agreement fund for each remaining year of the
period covered by the most recent such certificate for their main fund.
(2) Where an admission agreement ceases to have effect,
the administering authority who made it must obtain-
(a) an actuarial valuation as at the date it ceases of the liabilities
of the admission bodyof the fund in respect of current and former employees of the admission body (SI2000/199) which is ceasing to be a transferred body; and
(b) a revision of any rates and adjustments certificate for any fund which is affected, showing the revised contributions due from that admission body and any other admission body in respect of which revised contributions are due.
(2A) However, where it is not possible for any reason to obtain revised contributions
from the outgoing admission body, or from an insurer or any other person providing
a guarantee or indemnity an indemnity or bond (SI2005/293)
on behalf of that admission body, the administering authority may obtain a further
revision of any rates and adjustments certificate for the fund, showing the
revised contributions due from each employing authority who contributes to that
fund. (SI2000/199) showing-
(a) in the case where the outgoing body is a transferee admission body within the meaning of regulation 4A(2)(a), the revised contributions due from the body which is the Scheme employer in relation to that outgoing admission body; and
(b) in any other case, the revised contributions due from each employing authority who contributes to that fund. (SI2005/293)
(2B) An administering authority may obtain from the fund actuary a certificate
specifying, in the case of an admission body, the percentage or amount by which,
in the actuary's opinion-
with a view to providing that the value of the assets of the fund in respect of current and former employees of that admission body is neither materially more nor materially less than the anticipated liabilities of the fund in respect of those employees at the date that the admission agreement is to end. (SI2000/199)
(3) This paragraph applies where-
(4) Where paragraph (3) applies, the administering
authority must obtain a revision of the rates and adjustments certificate affected,
showing the resulting changes as respects that employing authority.
(a) be paid at the end of the intervals determined under regulation 80(1); and
(b) equal the appropriate proportion of the whole amount due under paragraph (1) for the year in question.
(4) An employer's contribution for any year is the
common percentage for that year of the pay on which contributions have during
that year been paid to the fund under Part II by employees
who are active members (other than contributions under regulation
17(3)), increased or reduced by any individual adjustment specified for
that employer for that year in the rates and adjustments certificate.
(5) The common percentage is the common rate of employer's
contribution specified in that certificate, expressed as a percentage.
(6) Where an employee-
(a) is treated, under regulation 16(3A), as if that employee had paid contributions; or
(b) has paid contributions during a period of maternity, paternity or adoption absence;
the pay on which the common percentage is calculated is the pay the employee would have received if that employee had not been absent. (SI2005/293)
Employer's further payments
79. - (1) Where
an authority pass a resolution under regulation 51
, they must pay the appropriate sum to the appropriate fund before the expiry
of relevant period (as defined in paragraph (7) of that regulation) unless before
the end of that period they have agreed as mentioned in paragraph (6)(a) of
that regulation.
(2) Where an authority pass a resolution under regulation
136 in a case where paragraph (4)(a) of that regulation does not apply,
they must pay the appropriate sum to the appropriate fund before the expiry
of the period of one month beginning with the date on which the resolution is
passed. (SI2005/293)
(3) The appropriate sum for a member is such sum as
is shown as appropriate in guidance issued by the Government Actuary.
(4) Any extra charge on the appropriate fund resulting
from-
(a)
a determination under regulation 14 or(SI2006/468) a resolution under regulation 51, 52 or 136(SI2005/293) of these Regulations; or
(b) a member's becoming entitled to an ill-health pension calculated under regulation 27 by reference to an enhanced membership period,
must be repaid to the fund by the employing authority concerned (but, in
the case of resolutions under regulations 51 and
136, only so far as not paid under paragraph
(1) or, as the case may be, paragraph (2)) (but, in the case of a resolution
under regulation 51, only so far as not paid under
paragraph (1)) (SI2005/293).
(5) Where, on leaving local government employment, a pension and retirement
grant becomes payable to a member under regulation
25 (redundancy etc.), or regulation 30 (other
early leavers etc) regulation 30 (other early leavers etc) or regulation 34 (requirements as to time of payment) (SI2007/514) the appropriate administering authority may require the employing
authority to make additional payments to the appropriate fund in respect of
the extra cost of the immediate payment of the pension and retirement grant
together with the cost of providing any increase under Part I of the Pensions
(Increase) Act 1971. (SI2000/199)
(6) Whereon such a pension and retirement grant becoming
payable, a pension and retirement grant also become payable to the member in
respect of service with one or more other employing authorities, the employing
authority in relation to whom the redundancy arose or by whom the consent to
early retirement was given shall be responsible for making any additional payments
in accordance with paragraph (5) in respect of all such service. (SI2000/199)
(7) Any additional payments that are due under paragraph
(5) shall be made, if the administering authority agree by-
(a) a single payment of an amount determined by the administering authority on the advice of the fund actuary; or
(b) instalments, each of an amount determined by the administering authority on the advice of the fund actuary, covering a period not exceeding the period between the member's leaving local government employment and reaching NRD, or a period not exceeding 5 years, the first and subsequent instalments becoming payable as agreed between the administering authority and the employing authority. (SI2000/199)
Payments by employing authorities to appropriate administering authorities
80. - (1) Every
employing authority must pay to the appropriate administering authority, on
or before such dates falling at intervals of not more than 12 months as the
appropriate administering authority may determine (but in the case of the amounts
mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) not later than the time required under section
49(8) of the Pensions Act 1995)-
(2) Paragraph (1)(d) does not apply where the cost
is paid out of the fund under regulation P5(2) or P6(9) of the 1987 Regulations.
(3) If the annual amount payable under paragraph (1)(d)
cannot be settled by agreement, it must be determined by the Secretary of State.
(4) Every payment under paragraph (1)(a) is to be accompanied
by a statement showing-
(a) the name and pay of each of the employing authority's employees who is an active member;
(b) which employees are paying voluntary contributions;
(c) the amounts which represent deductions from the pay of each of the employees and the periods covered by the deductions, distinguishing amounts representing deductions for voluntary contributions.
(5) An administering authority may direct the information
mentioned in paragraph (4) to be given to them instead in such form and at such
intervals (not exceeding 12 months) as they specify in the direction.
(6) Paragraphs (1) and (4) do not apply to an employing
authority which is an administering authority.
(7) Voluntary contributions are contributions other
than those under Part II.