Commentary on Sections Schedule 8: Abolition of SOCA and NPIA Parts 2 to 4: Minor and consequential amendments and repeals
274.Parts 2 to 4 of the Schedule make other amendments to enactments, both primary and secondary, as a consequence of the abolition of SOCA and the NPIA.
275.Paragraph 26 of the Schedule protects the pension arrangements for those officers of precursor agencies who are eligible for membership of the police pension scheme on moving into the NCA. It also provides for serving police officers (including members of the PSNI Reserve) to retain their eligibility for the police pension scheme on being appointed as Director General of the NCA or on taking up key posts within the NCA designated by the Director General.
276.Paragraph 89 adds the NCA to the list of organisations specified in section 23 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The effect of this amendment is to exempt from the Freedom of Information Act as a class all information held or supplied by the NCA.
277.Paragraph 184 provides that references to the “Serious Organised Crime Agency”, “SOCA”, etc in the specified legislation will be substituted with a reference to the National Crime Agency and other equivalent related references.
278.Paragraph 188 provides that SOCA related references in subordinate legislation may be read as the corresponding NCA reference listed in the table. This provision is without prejudice to the consequential order making power in section 58 of the Act.