Government of Jersey

Information about the publication of Ministerial Decisions

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demonstrating that good governance, and clear lines of accountability and authority, are in place around decisions-making – including the reasons and basis on which a decision is made, and the action required to implement a decision
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A decision made on 30 November 2012:

Decision Reference: MD-C-2012-0119
Decision Summary Title :	Amendments to the Regulations for Prison Officers covered under the Public Employees Contributory Retirement Scheme (PECRS)		Date of Decision Summary:	30th November 2012
Decision Summary Author:	Project Director - Pensions		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	n/a
Written Report Title :	Amendments to the Regulations for Prison Officers covered under the Public Employees Contributory Retirement Scheme (PECRS)		Date of Written Report:	13 November 2012
Written Report Author:	Project Director - Pensions		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: Amendments to the Regulations for Prison Officers covered under the Public Employees Contributory Retirement Scheme (PECRS)
Decision(s): The Chief Minister approved the draft Public Employees (Contributory Retirement Scheme) (States of Jersey Prison Service – Amendments) (Jersey) Regulations 201- and accompanying report and requested that the report and proposition be lodged ‘au Greffe’ for consideration by the States as soon as possible.
Reason(s) for Decision: At its meeting on 27th November 2012, the States Employment Board agreed the amendments to pension provision for employees of the Prison Service, i.e. Prison Officers. Prison Officers – new Category C status The draft amendments create a new Category C status, which will relate to new members of the Prison Service employed on or after 1st February 2013. These employees will be subject to a later normal retirement age of 60 (although including an option to retire from age 55 in which case the pension will be subject to an actuarial reduction) and an accrual rate of 70ths as opposed to the current 60ths. Please note a 70th accrual rate is less valuable to the employee than a 60th accrual rate. Prison Officers – Category A status In addition and following a request from the Prison Officers’ Association, the draft amendments increase the normal retirement age for all current Prison Officers who are covered under Category A status to age 60 from age 55. These amendments have been drafted in such a way that the current accrual rates applicable to these members remain unchanged, as do the various earlier retirement options available to Category A Prison Officers under the present legislation. The draft amendment allows for Category A Prison Officers to remain in employment until age 60 or choose to leave under the various options available to them previously.
Resource Implications: There are no resource implications
Action required: The Project Director – Pensions is requested to arrange with the States Greffe for the Report to be lodged ‘au Greffe’ for consideration on the earliest possible date.
Signature:		Position: Senator I J Gorst, Chief Minister
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Public Employees (Contributory Retirement Scheme) (States of Jersey Prison Service - Amendments) (Jersey) Regulations 201-: Lodging

REPORT

The States Employment Board is promoting amendments to four sets of Regulations that regulate the different schemes which each constitute the Public Employees Contributory Retirement Scheme (the “PECRS”). These regulations are divided into the following parts –

Public Employees (Contributory Retirement Scheme) (Jersey) Regulations 1967 (the “1967 Regulations”;

Public Employees (Contributory Retirement Scheme) (General) (Jersey) Regulations 1989 (the “General Regulations”);

Public Employees (Contributory Retirement Scheme) (Existing Members) (Jersey) Regulations 1989 (the “Existing Members”);

Public Employees (Contributory Retirement Scheme) (New Members) (Jersey) Regulations 1989 (the “New Members”).

The purpose of these amending regulations is as follows:

To increase, at the request of Prison Service Association, a later normal retirement age, from age 55 to age 60, for all current Prison Officers covered under Category A status.

The amendment to the normal retirement age has been drafted to preserve the various early retirement options presently available to Prison Officers under the current legislation but allows the Officers to now remain in employment to age 60.

The amendments also introduce a new category of Prison Officer member known as “Category C” and will apply to all employees recruited as Prison Officers on or after 1st February 2013. Members under this new category will be subject to the later normal retirement age of 60 (although including an option to retire from age 55 in which case the pension will be subject to an actuarial reduction) and an accrual rate of 70ths as opposed to the current 60ths.

There are no manpower or resource implications arising from these draft Regulations.

These amendments will come into force on 1st February 2013.