Pensioners' Payments and National Insurance Act 1973

3 Administration of lump sum payments

(1) A determination by the competent authority that a person is entitled or not entitled to payment of a qualifying benefit in respect of a period including a day in the relevant week shall be conclusive for the purposes of section 1 above; and in this subsection " competent authority " means, in relation to a payment of any description of qualifying benefit, an authority who ordinarily determines whether a person is entitled to such a payment.

(2) Any question arising under section 1 or 2 above, other than one mentioned in subsection (1) above, shall be determined by the Secretary of State, whose decision shall, except as provided by subsection (3) below, be final.

(3) The Secretary of State may reverse a decision under subsection (2) above on new facts being brought to his notice, or if he is satisfied that the decision was given in ignorance of, or was based on a mistake as to, some material fact.

(4) The Secretary of State may—

(a) require any person to make a claim in writing for a payment under section 1 above ;

(b) require such information and evidence to be furnished by a person who has applied for a payment under that section as may in the opinion of the Secretary of State be necessary for the determination whether that person is or was entitled to such a payment.

(5) The Secretary of State may make any payment under section 1 above at any time and in any manner that he thinks appropriate and, in particular, may make such a payment to someone other than the person entitled to it, but on that person's behalf, if in the circumstances of the case he considers it appropriate so to do.

(6) The right of any person to payment of any sum under section 1 above shall be extinguished if payment is not obtained within twelve months, or such longer period as the Secretary of State may in any particular case allow, from the date which the Secretary of State determines to be the date on which that person was entitled to that payment.