The Department for Communities has made a Statutory Rule entitled “The State Pension Revaluation for Transitional Pensions Order (Northern Ireland) 2017” (S.R. 2017 No. 228), which came into operation in accordance with Article 1(1). The Rule is made under the powers conferred by section 130AC of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 and is subject to the negative resolution procedure.

The Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (“the 2015 Act”) introduced a new state pension for people reaching state pension age on or after 6 April 2016. This Order specifies the percentage that will be used to revalue “protected payments” for individuals reaching state pension age on or after 10th April 2018. A person has a protected payment if their “starting amount” – the part of their new state pension based on their pre-6 April 2016 contribution record – exceeded the full rate of new state pension as at 6 April 2016. The protected payment is the amount of the excess.

Where the starting amount exceeds the full rate, paragraph 6(5) of Schedule 1 to the 2015 Act provides that the amount of the excess (i.e. the protected payment) is to be revalued by the percentage specified in the last Order made under section 130AC of the Administration Act to come into operation before the individual reaches state pension age.

Copies of the Rule, may be purchased from the Stationery Office at www.tsoshop.co.uk or by contacting TSO Customer Services on 0333 202 5070 or viewed online at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr.