Business Services Organisation
This Technical Update contains information regarding:
- Foreword
- HSC Pension Flexibilities Consultation – Reminder
- HSC Pension Scheme McCloud Remedy – Part Two Consultation Response Document
- HSC Pension Scheme McCloud Part Two Regulations
- Contact Us
This information is also available in a printable/downloadable format here.
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Foreword
This Employer Technical Update (ETU) provides you with a reminder of the current HSC Pension Scheme Flexibilities consultation being run by the DoH.
There is also an update regarding the response document published by the Department of Health (DoH) following the consultation on the McCloud Remedy Regulations and the subsequent laying of the said regulations.
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HSC Pension Flexibilities Consultation - Reminder
The Department of Health (DoH) is currently consulting on proposals to introduce a package of new retirement flexibilities within the 1995 Section of the legacy scheme and include pensionable re-employment, partial retirement, permanent removal of the 16-hour rule and a number of minor changes in relation to partial retirement.
The new retirement flexibilities outlined in the consultation have been designed to offer staff increased options at the end of their careers, enabling them to partially retire or return to work seamlessly and continue to build pension after retirement if they wish to do so.
It is hoped these changes will also support patient care as the HSC will continue to benefit from the skills and experience of staff, who may have previously left. This could provide an important boost to HSC capacity at a crucial time and help tackle care backlogs.
The consultation is due to close on 16th October 2023 is available on the Departmental website here.
Action for Employers: Please ensure this notice is shared with all staff including HSC Pension Scheme members and other stakeholders
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HSC Pension Scheme McCloud Remedy - Part Two Consultation Response Document
Following the implementation of Part one of the McCloud Remedy, resulting in the closure of the legacy public service pension schemes on 31 March 2022 and ensuring equal treatment for all public service pension scheme members by moving all active members into the reformed public service pension schemes on 1 April 2022 the DoH launched a consultation on the McCloud Remedy Part Two.
The second and retrospective part of the remedy will remove the effect of the transitional protections.
- returns members who moved to the 2015 scheme back into the legacy scheme for their pensionable service (the ‘remediable service’) effected by the discrimination during the remedy period, from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022, which in this consultation is referred to as ‘rollback’
- Offers a choice of whether to receive legacy scheme benefits or 2015 scheme benefits for their remediable service, both of which are payable from the legacy scheme
The consultation closed on 30th June 2023 and the DoH published their response on 11th September 2023. You can view details of the responses received from stakeholders and the findings of the consultation here.
Action for Employers: Please ensure all relevant stakeholders are made aware of the consultation response document.
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HSC Pension Scheme McCloud Part Two Regulations
Following the completion of the consultation process by DoH on the McCloud Remedy Part Two, The Health and Social Care Pension Schemes (Remedial Service) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023 were made on 07th September 2023 and came into operation on 01st October 2023.
The regulations can be accessed on the Legislation.gov.uk website here.
Action for Employers: Please ensure all relevant stakeholders are made aware of the new regulations.
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Contact Us
By writing to us at:-
HSC Pension Service
Waterside House
75 Duke Street
Londonderry
BT47 6FP
By Telephone: 028 7131 911110.00 am to 12.00pm / 2.00 pm to 4.00pm – Monday to Thursday
10.00 am to 12.00pm – Friday
Find us on Twitter – @hscpensions
Find us on Facebook – HSC Pension ServiceIf you have any suggestions for the newsletter or would like a particular topic covered in future publications please do not hesitate in contacting us by emailing: hscpensions@hscni.net