Police and Firefighters’ (Pensions etc) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2019
SI 2019/378: Amendments are made to various instruments relating to pensions payable in respect of police officers in England and Wales and firefighters in England. Provisions are also made to make provision for amendment to Police Federation Regulations. The Regulations will come into force on 1 April 2019.Part 2 of these Regulations, which extends to England and Wales, makes amendments to the Police Pensions Regulations 1987, SI 1987/257, the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006, SI 2006/932, the Police Pensions Regulations 2006, SI 2006/3415, the Police Pensions Regulations 2015, SI 2015/445, and the Police Federation (England and Wales) Regulations 2017, SI 2017/1140.Amendments are made among other things to:• allow police officers who are members of the scheme constituted by SI 1987/257 to make contributions to buy pensionable service in relation to any period of unpaid maternity support leave during the period from 3 April 2011 to 1 September 2014• make equivalent provision in relation to police officers who are members of the scheme constituted by SI 2006/3415—transitional provision is made in this regard• bring the benefits under the scheme constituted by SI 1987/257 payable to survivors of civil partnerships and same sex marriages, into line with the benefits payable to widows of different-sex marriages• make a corresponding amendment to SI 2006/932—women police officers who paid lower contributions in anticipation of lower survivor benefits are enabled to elect to pay additional contributions to be able to access these higher survivor benefits• provide for the contribution rates applicable in the scheme year ending on 31 March 2019 also to apply for the following year. Since this involves a change to a protected element of the scheme constituted by SI 2015/445, the Secretary of State has consulted representatives of those likely to be affected by the change with a view to reaching agreement and has laid a report before Parliament• amend SI 2017/1140, reg 9, to identify how the numbers of members of the metropolitan police branch are to be calculated for the purposes of local branch council elections of the Police Federation for England and Wales
