The National Health Service Superannuation Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2011

Dependent child S

H1.—(1) This regulation applies to any child who satisfies the requirements of paragraph (2) and who is—

(a) a child or grandchild of the member;

(b) a stepchild of the member by a marriage entered into or a civil partnership formed before the date on which the member leaves pensionable employment or reaches age 70 (whichever occurs first), or a child legally adopted by the member before that date;

(c) a brother or sister, or a child of a brother or sister, of the member or the member's spouse, civil partner or nominated partner (any half-brother or step-brother being treated as a brother, and any half-sister or step-sister being treated as a sister, for this purpose); or

(d) a child whom, immediately before the member left pensionable employment, reached age 70 or died (whichever occurs first), the member had intended to adopt, or a child who, at that time, had been dependent on the member for 2 years or (if less) half the child's life; or

(e) a child of a member's nominated partner from a nominated partnership formed before the date on which the member leaves pensionable employment.

(2) The requirements of this paragraph are satisfied by any child described in paragraph (1) who is—

(a) born before the member leaves pensionable employment, reaches age 70 or dies (whichever occurs first) and who is dependent on the member when the member dies and, if the member dies after leaving pensionable employment, was also dependent on the member when the member left pensionable employment; or

(b) born one year or less after the member leaves pensionable employment, reaches age 70 or dies (whichever occurs first), and who either is dependent on the member both immediately after being born and when the member dies, or would have become dependent on the member if the member had not died before the child was born.

(3) A child is a dependent child of a person whose pensionable employment ceases on or after 1st April 2008 for so long as the child is—

(a) under age 23; or

(b) aged 23 or over and incapable of earning a living because of permanent physical or mental infirmity from which the child was suffering at the time the member died.

(4) Subject to paragraphs (7) and (8), a child is a dependent child of a person whose pensionable employment ceases on or before 31st March 2008 for so long as the child is—

(a) under age 17; or

(b) age 17 or over but has not reached the age of 23 and in full-time education; or

(c) age 17 or over but has not reached the age of 23 and in full-time training for a trade, profession or vocation, for which the child is not receiving remuneration in excess of the allowable maximum; or

(d) age 17 or over but has not reached the age of 23 and taking a break in full-time education, or full-time training for a trade, profession or vocation, where the Scottish Ministers are satisfied that the child intends to return to some such education or training; or

(e) under age 19 and not engaged in remunerative full-time work and not entitled to income support in terms of section 124 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 M1 .

(f) age 17 or over but has not reached the age of 23 and is incapable of earning a living because of permanent physical or mental infirmity from which the child started to suffer whilst qualifying as a dependent child; but such a person will only be treated as a dependent child for so much of the period commencing with the day on which the child attains the age of 17 and ending immediately before the day on which the child attains the age of 23, during which the child remains incapable of earning a living.

(5) A child who is age 17 or over and who has ceased to be a dependent child will be treated as a dependent child if the child returns to full-time education, or to full-time training for a trade, profession or vocation for which the child is not receiving remuneration in excess of the allowable maximum, before reaching age 21 and within 12 months after ceasing to be a dependent child.

(6) In this regulation, the “allowable maximum” means the amount to which a pension of £1702 a year beginning on 11th April 1994 would have been increased under Part I of the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971 M2 at the date in question plus the yearly amount of any expenses necessarily incurred for the purposes of the education or training.

(7) A child who is incapable of earning a living because of permanent physical or mental infirmity from which the child was suffering at the time the member died as described in paragraph (4) will be treated as a dependent child for so long as the child remains incapable of earning a living.

(8) Where—

(a) a dependent child became entitled to a child allowance under regulation H2 (payment of dependent child's allowance) before 6th April 2006; or

(b) the dependency of a child born on, or before, 5th April 2007 is to be assessed in respect of a person who became entitled to a pension under regulations E1 to E12 on, or before, 6th April 2006,

paragraphs (4)(b), (c) and (d) are to be read as if they did not include the words “but has not reached the age of 23”, paragraph (4)(f) does not apply and paragraph (7) is to be read as if it included the words “or from which the child started to suffer whilst qualifying as a dependent child” after the words “member died”.

Marginal Citations

M1 1992 c.4.

M2 1971 c.56.