PART IIENTITLEMENT AND AMOUNT

Persons temporarily absent from Northern IrelandI13

1

A person’s entitlement to state pension credit during periods of temporary absence from Northern Ireland is to continue –

a

for up to 4 weeks in the circumstances specified in paragraph (2);

b

for up to 8 weeks in the circumstances specified in paragraph (3).

2

The circumstances specified in this paragraph are that –

a

the period of the claimant’s absence from Northern Ireland is unlikely to exceed 52 weeks, and

b

while absent from Northern Ireland, the claimant continues to satisfy the other conditions of entitlement to state pension credit.

3

The circumstances specified in this paragraph are that –

a

the period of the claimant’s absence from Northern Ireland is unlikely to exceed 52 weeks;

b

while absent from Northern Ireland, the claimant continues to satisfy the other conditions of entitlement to state pension credit;

c

the claimant is accompanying a young person solely in connection with arrangements made for the treatment of that person for a disease or bodily or mental disablement, and

d

those arrangements relate to treatment –

i

outside Northern Ireland,

ii

during the period whilst the claimant is temporarily absent from Northern Ireland, and

iii

by, or under the supervision of, a person appropriately qualified to carry out that treatment.

4

In paragraph (3) –

  • “young person” means a person who has not attained the age of 19, is treated as a child for the purposes of section 138 of the Contributions and Benefits Act and lives with the claimant or the claimant’s partner;

  • “appropriately qualified” means qualified in providing medical treatment, physiotherapy or a form of treatment which is similar to, or related to, either of those forms of treatment.