Inheritance and Trustees’ Powers Act 2014

Inheritance and Trustees’ Powers Act 2014

2014 CHAPTER 16

Commentary on Sections

Section 10: applications of sections 8 and 9

49. Section 10 sets out the circumstances in which sections 8 and 9 apply to trusts.

50. Subsection (2) concerns the amendments made by section 9 to include within the statutory power of advancement under section 32 of the Trustee Act 1925 the ability to transfer or apply property other than money. These amendments apply to all trusts whenever established. For example, these reforms to the power would apply in relation to a trust which arose on the intestacy of a person who died before section 9 came into force.

51. Under subsections (1) and (3), the removal of the one-half restriction on the statutory power of advancement pursuant to subsection (3)(b) of section 9, and the reforms to the power in section 31 of the Trustee Act 1925 made by section 8, apply as set out in subsections (4) and (5).

52. Under subsection (4), those reforms apply in relation to all interests under trusts established after the coming into force of these provisions. For example, if a trust arises under the intestacy rules on a death which occurs after the provisions have come into force, these statutory powers will apply as reformed to all interests under the trust. The same applies if the trust is created by will in these circumstances (regardless of when the will was executed), subject to amendment or exclusion of the power by the terms of the will (section 69(2) of the Trustee Act 1925). Similarly, and again subject to contrary intention expressed in the trust instrument, all interests under a trust created in lifetime after the provisions come into force will have the benefit of the powers as reformed.

53. Subsection (5) extends the application of the reforms to trust interests established by the exercise, after the reforms come into force, of any power held in relation to a trust, whether that power was conferred by the terms of the trust or by statute. This is relevant where the trust in question is already in existence before the reforms. For example, the trustees of such an existing trust may hold a power of appointment, enabling them to create new interests in favour of one or more of a class of beneficiaries. If that power is exercised after these provisions come into force to create new trust interests (without establishing a separate settlement, in which case subsection (4) would apply), the interests so created have the benefit of the statutory powers as amended. For example, suppose that the trustees exercised the power of appointment so as to give A an entitlement to a tenth of the trust fund contingent on reaching 25. They would then be able to use the statutory power of advancement in section 32 of the Trustee Act 1925 as amended by section 9(3)(b) to apply anything up to the whole of that one-tenth share for A’s advancement or benefit, by virtue of that contingent interest.