NILGOSC
Employers’ Guide, Forms and Statements, Casual Employees and Annual Returns
Circular 8/2000
To all Employing Authorities Our Ref: CIRC 8/2000
22 September 2000
Dear Sir/Madam
1. Employers’ Guide
I am very pleased to
enclose a copy of the new NILGOSC Employers’ Guide, which has been updated to
take account of the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern
Ireland) 2000. Future amendments to the
Guide will be issued in loose-leaf format for insertion into this binder.
A very limited number
of additional copies can be made available to larger employing authorities, if
required. Please contact Trevor
Davidson or Lynda White at NILGOSC if you require an additional copy of the
Guide.
2. Membership Certificates for New
Members
The changes to the
eligibility criteria for Scheme membership introduced by the Local Government
Pension Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 have resulted in a huge
volume of Employee Membership Option forms (LGS1) being received. We are processing these as quickly as
possible and would ask you to bear with us while this backlog of new members is
cleared. However, if you have not
received a membership certificate within two months of submitting form LGS1 to
NILGOSC, please contact us again.
3. Nomination Forms
The facility to
nominate a beneficiary introduced by the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations
(Northern Ireland) 2000 is also proving extremely popular. All nominations received are acknowledged by
returning a copy of the nomination form (LGS20) to the member, along with a
covering letter. Any member who has not
received such an acknowledgement within two months of submitting form LGS20
should contact us again.
4. New Forms
A small supply of new
forms (LGS1, LGS13, LGS14, LGS20 and LGS22) was distributed to all employing
authorities with our circular 7/2000, dated 17 July 2000. Employing authorities were instructed to
destroy all existing stocks of Employee’s Membership Option form NM1, Amendment
Details form LGS14 and Ill Health Medical Request form LGS22 and to use the new
forms with immediate effect.
In spite of this, a
few authorities are persisting in using the old forms, which are no longer
acceptable and have to be returned for re-completion. Please check that all old forms have been destroyed and new forms
brought into use. Additional copies of
all forms may be obtained from NILGOSC.
5. Pension Benefit Statements
Annual Pension Benefit
Statements are currently being produced and distributed to those authorities
whose annual returns have been received and processed. Due to the increased workload occasioned by
the new regulations and also to the fact that we are upgrading our pensions
administration system over the next few months, it is unlikely that we will be
able to issue pension benefit statements for those authorities whose annual
returns are still outstanding.
6. Casual Employees
In the case of casual
employees who opt to join the scheme, the annual salary rate figure to be
stated on your annual return (column 10 of annual return form LGS7/7A) will be
the actual annual
pensionable earnings (i.e. the same figure as in column 6 – pensionable
remuneration).
Those authorities
which produce their annual returns from a computerised payroll system should
ensure that systems are set up appropriately.
7. Annual Returns for year ending 31
March 2001
Employing authorities with
more than 50 members are reminded that annual returns for the current year must
be submitted on 3½” floppy disk or 4mm DAT tape, accompanied by a paper
copy. A disk/tape specification was
enclosed with Circular 2/2000, but further copies may be obtained from our I.T.
section. Test tapes/disks using either year to
date information or annual return information for the year ended 31 March 2000,
must be submitted by 31 December 2000 at the latest.
Smaller employing
authorities who wish to provide their annual return in automated format may
also submit test tapes/disks.
Large authorities
which, in the past, have provided their annual returns on ½” magnetic reel tape
are reminded that NILGOSC will no longer have the facility to process such
tapes and that returns for the year ending 31 March 2001 will be required on 4
mm DAT tape or 3½ “ floppy disk.
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR I.T.
SECTION/SOFTWARE SUPPLIER IS AWARE OF THESE REQUIREMENTS.
Yours faithfully
L M
WHITE (MRS)