Pension Schemes Act 1993

34 Cancellation, variation, surrender and refusal of certificates

(1) Regulations shall provide for the cancellation, variation or surrender of any contracting-out certificate or appropriate scheme certificate, or the issue of an amended certificate—

(a) in the case of a contracting-out certificate, on any change of circumstances affecting the treatment of an employment as contracted-out employment; and

(b) in the case of an appropriate scheme certificate, on any relevant change of circumstances.

(2) Regulations may enable the Board to cancel or vary a contracting-out certificate where—

(a) they have reason to suppose that any employment to which it relates ought not to be treated as contracted-out employment in accordance with the certificate; and

(b) the employer does not show that it ought to be so treated.

(3) Where—

(a) by or by virtue of any provision of this Part the contracting-out of a scheme in relation to an employment depends on the satisfaction of a particular condition, or

(b) by or by virtue of any provision of sections 26 to 32 a scheme’s being an appropriate scheme depends on the satisfaction of a particular condition,

the continued contracting-out of the scheme or, as the case may be, the scheme’s continuing to be an appropriate scheme shall be dependent on continued satisfaction of the condition; and if the condition ceases to be satisfied, that shall be a ground (without prejudice to any other) for the cancellation or variation of the contracting-out or appropriate scheme certificate.

(4) A contracting-out certificate in respect of any employment may be withheld or cancelled by the Board if they consider that there are circumstances which make it inexpedient that the employment should be or, as the case may be, continue to be, contracted-out employment by reference to the scheme, notwithstanding that the relevant scheme is one that they would otherwise treat as proper to be contracted-out in relation to all earners in that employment.

(5) An appropriate scheme certificate may be withheld or cancelled by the Board if they consider that there are circumstances which make it inexpedient that the scheme should be or continue to be an appropriate scheme, notwithstanding that they would otherwise issue such a certificate or not cancel such a certificate.

(6) Without prejudice to their powers apart from this subsection, the Board may withhold or cancel a contracting-out certificate in respect of a scheme if they consider that the rules of the scheme are such that persons over particular ages may be prevented from participating in the scheme.

(7) Without prejudice to the previous provisions of this section—

(a) non-compliance with any such condition as is mentioned in subsection (1) of section 25 shall be a ground on which the Board may withhold or cancel a contracting-out certificate in respect of any employment within the application of the scheme; and

(b) non-compliance with any such condition as is mentioned in subsection (2) of that section shall be a ground on which the Board may cancel a contracting-out certificate issued in respect of any such employment.

(8) Except in prescribed circumstances, no cancellation, variation or surrender of a contracting-out certificate or appropriate scheme certificate shall have effect from a date earlier than that on which the cancellation, variation or surrender is made.