The Judicial Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015

CHAPTER 3 N.I. Payment of pensions for surviving adults and eligible children

Payment of pensions under this Part N.I.

106.—(1) A surviving adult's pension or eligible child's pension is payable from the day after the date of the member's death.

(2) Unless the scheme manager directs otherwise, an eligible child's pension payable in respect of an eligible child aged under the age of 18 must be paid—

(a) if the child is in the care of the member's surviving adult, to the surviving adult; and

(b) in any other case, to the child's guardian.

Stopping payment and recovery of pensions paid under this Part N.I.

107.—(1) This regulation applies if—

(a) on a member's death a pension has been awarded and paid under this Part; and

(b) it later appears to the scheme manager that the member or the person to whom the pension has been paid made a false declaration or deliberately suppressed a material fact in connection with the award.

(2) The scheme manager may—

(a) stop paying the pension; and

(b) recover any payment made under the award.

Provisional awards of eligible child's pensions: later adjustments N.I.

108.—(1) This regulation applies where—

(a) an active member, deferred member or pensioner member of this scheme has died;

(b) a pension is paid in respect of one or more persons under this Part on the basis that they were eligible children as at the date of the member's death and that there were then no other eligible children; and

(c) it later appears that—

(i) a person in respect of whom such a pension has been paid was not an eligible child on the date of death;

(ii) on that date a further person was an eligible child; or

(iii) a child who was born after the member's death is an eligible child.

(2) The scheme manager may adjust the amount of pension payable in respect of each eligible child to take account of matters referred to in paragraph (1)(c) as applicable.

Adjustment of benefits to comply with the 2004 Act where members die over the age of 75 N.I.

109.—(1) This regulation applies if—

(a) a member of this scheme dies after reaching the age of 75; and

(b) apart from this regulation, any part of a pension to which any person becomes entitled under this Part on the death would not qualify as a dependants' scheme pension for the purposes of section 167 (the pension death benefit rules) of the 2004 Act.

(2) The benefit payable to the person may be adjusted in any way as determined by the scheme manager so that it qualifies as a dependants' scheme pension for the purposes of section 167 (the pension death benefit rules) of the 2004 Act.

Guaranteed minimum pensions for surviving spouses and civil partners N.I.

110.—(1) If a person who is the surviving spouse or civil partner of a deceased active, deferred or pensioner member has a guaranteed minimum under section 13 M1 (minimum pensions for widows and widowers) of the 1993 Act in relation to benefits in respect of the deceased member under this scheme—

(a) nothing in these Regulations permits or requires anything that would cause requirements made by or under that Act in relation to such a person and such a person's rights under a scheme not to be met in the case of the person;

(b) nothing in these Regulations prevents anything from being done which is necessary or expedient for the purposes of meeting such requirements in the case of the person; and

(c) paragraph (2) is without prejudice to the generality of this paragraph.

(2) If apart from this regulation—

(a) no pension would be payable to the surviving spouse or civil partner under this Part; or

(b) the weekly rate of the pensions payable would be less than the guaranteed minimum,

a pension the weekly rate of which is equal to the guaranteed minimum is payable to the surviving spouse or civil partner for life or, as the case may be, pensions the aggregate weekly rate of which is equal to the guaranteed minimum are so payable.

(3) Paragraph (2) does not apply to a pension that is forfeited—

(a) as a result of a conviction for treason; or

(b) under regulation 151, in a case where the relevant offence within the meaning of regulation 151 is an offence under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989 M2 [F1 or an applicable offence under the National Security Act 2023] .

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 110(3)(b) inserted (20.12.2023) by The National Security Act 2023 (Consequential Amendments of Subordinate Legislation) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1267), reg. 1(2), Sch. para. 46(3)

Marginal Citations

M1 Section 13 was amended by the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/67) Article 3(1), Schedule 1 paragraph 42, the Civil Partnership (Contracted-out Occupational and Appropriate Personal Pension Schemes) (Surviving Civil Partners) Order (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005 No. 433) Schedule 1, paragraph 5, the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2000 (c. 4) (N.I.) sections 52, 67, Schedule 3, paragraph 3, Schedule 5 paragraph 1, the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (S.I. 1995/3213 (N.I. 22))) Article 261(2),and the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (c. 1(N.I)) section 12.

M2 1989 c. 6; see section 16(2) for the meaning of “Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989”.