68.—(1) Where, after making a claim for an award of retired pay or a pension under Part II or Part III of this Order, the claimant dies either—
(a)before an award has been made; or
(b)where an appeal has been made under the Pensions Appeal Tribunal Act 1943, before the appeal has been determined
the Secretary of State may, notwithstanding the claimant's death, make an award in accordance with the provisions of this Order.
(2) Any such award shall be made to the designated person whose receipt shall be a good discharge to the Secretary of State for any award so made in respect of that claim.
(3) No such award shall be made in respect of any period after the claimant's death.
(4) For the purposes of this article, where there is no grant of probate or letters of administration or other proof of title in respect of a deceased claimant's estate, the expression “personal representatives” means the person or persons appearing to the Secretary of State to be beneficially entitled to the estate of the deceased claimant.
(5) In this article—
(a)“claimant” means a person who has made a claim for a pension under the Order;
(b)“designated person” means the person who, after due enquiry, appears to the Secretary of State to be—
(i)the claimant's surviving spouse or surviving civil partner, or if it appears to the Secretary of State that there is no such person,
(ii)the claimant's dependant who lived as a spouse or dependant who lived as a civil partner, or if it so appears that there are no such persons,
(iii)the claimant's children, or if it so appears that there are no such persons,
(iv)the claimant's parents, or if it so appears that there are no such persons,
(v)the claimant's other dependants, or if it so appears that there are no such persons,
(vi)the claimant's personal representatives;
(c)“pension” means any retired pay, pension, allowance or other continuing benefit under this Order.