Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Pension Protection Fund (Pension Protection Levies Consultation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 and shall come into operation on 20th June 2005.

(2) In these Regulations “the Order” means the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 and any reference to a numbered Article is a reference to the Article of the Order bearing that number.

Manner of consultation

2.  The prescribed manner for the consultation required under Article 159(1) (supplementary provisions about pension protection levies) is that the Board shall –

(a)set out in a consultation document the methods it proposes to use in order to determine the matters specified in Article 158(5) (pension protection levies);

(b)publish the consultation document –

(i)on the Pension Protection Fund website(2); and

(ii)where any person so requests, in a paper format provided by the Board to that person;

(c)publish a summary of non-confidential responses received in relation to that consultation, and its response to those responses –

(i)on the Pension Protection Fund website; and

(ii)where any person so requests, in a paper format provided by the Board to that person.

Manner of publication of details of determination

3.  The Board shall publish details of any determination it makes under Article 158(5) –

(a)on the Pension Protection Fund website; and

(b)where any person so requests, in a paper format provided by the Board to that person.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations prescribe the manner and publication requirements for the consultation required under Article 159 of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (“the Order”). Article 159(1) of the Order provides that the Board of the Pension Protection Fund (“the Board”) must consult such persons as it considers appropriate before determining matters relating to the pension protection levies specified in Article 158(5) of the Order.

Regulation 2 prescribes the manner of the consultation and provides that the Board shall –

• include details of how it proposes to determine the matters relating to Article 158(5) of the Order in the consultation document;

• publish the consultation document on its website and in a paper format if so requested; and

• publish a summary of non-confidential responses it receives to the consultation in the same way.

Regulation 3 prescribes that details of any determination under Article 158 of the Order shall be published on the Board’s website and in a paper format to any person upon request.

Article 159 of the Order, one of the enabling provisions under which these Regulations are made, was brought into operation, for the purpose only of authorising the making of regulations, on 31st May 2005 and for all other purposes on 20th June 2005, by virtue of the Pensions (2005 Order) (Commencement No. 4) Order (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005 No. 280 (C. 20)).

As these Regulations are made before the end of the period of six months beginning with the coming into operation of the provisions of the Order by virtue of which they are made, the requirement to consult under Article 289(1) of the Order does not apply by virtue of paragraph (2)(c) of that Article.