War Pensions (Administrative Provisions) Act 1919

1919 c.53

An Act to make further provision for the administration of the enactments relating to Naval, Military and Air Force War Pensions, Grants and Allowances, and for certain other purposes connected with such Pensions, Grants and Allowances.

Annotations:
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1

Functions of Minister of Pensions now exercisable by Secretary of State: S.I. 1953/1198 (1953 I, p. 1228), Ministry of Social Security Act 1966 (c. 20), s. 2 and S.I. 1968/1699

C2

Words of enactment omitted under authority of Statute Law Revision Act 1948 (c. 62), s. 3

C3

Act amended (women's services) by Armed Forces Act 1981 (c. 55, SIF 7:1), s. 20, Sch. 3 para. 1

F131 Administration of pensions, &c. under Injuries in War (Compensation) Acts.

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2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F1

C53 Extension of power to pay pensions in advance. C4

1

Notwithstanding anything in any Act, Order in Council, Royal Warrant, or other order to the contrary, any pension administered by or under the authority of the Minister of Pensions, the Army Council, or the Air Council may, in special circumstances, be issued in advance for such period not exceeding six months, and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by rules made by the Minister of Pensions, the Army Council, or the Air Council, as the case may be, with the approval of the Treasury.

2

Nothing in this section shall affect any other right of issuing pensions in advance.

4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2

7 Statutory right to pensions.

Every officer or man suffering from a disability attributable to or aggravated by naval, military, or air force service during the present war, and not due to his serious negligence or misconduct, shall be entitled to receive such pension, gratuity, or allowance as shall be awarded by the Minister of Pensions under any Warrant or Order in Council in respect of such disability, and for the payment whereof money shall have been provided by Parliament; but the award of any such pension, gratuity, or allowance shall be subject to the conditions contained in the Warrant or Order in Council.

8C6 Appeals F17. . .

1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F3where the claim of the widow or F12surviving civil partner or the orphan,F4parent or dependant of an officer or man under any such Royal Warrant or Order in Council is rejected on the ground

i

that the death of the officer or man was not due to, or that the disease from which he died was not attributable to or aggravated by, such service, nor, in the case of a man, contracted or commenced while he was on active service, or

ii

that the death of the officer or man was due to his serious negligence or misconduct,

an appeal shall lie to F18the appropriate tribunal, whose decision shall be final (subject, in the case of a decision of the First-Tier Tribunal, to provision made by or under Chapter 2 of Part 1 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007).

F191A

For the purposes of subsection (1) above “the appropriate tribunal” means—

a

in relation to England and Wales, the First-tier Tribunal;

b

in relation to Scotland, a Pensions Appeal Tribunal for Scotland established under this section; and

c

in relation to Northern Ireland, a Pensions Appeal Tribunal for Northern Ireland established under this section.

C92

Pensions Appeal Tribunals shall be established for F20Scotland and Northern Ireland, in accordance with the provisions of the Schedule to this Act. The provisions of that Schedule shall have effect in relation to the constitution, jurisdiction and procedure F21of those tribunals.

3

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4

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9 Extension of Acts.

Unless the context otherwise requires—

  • . . . F7

  • The provisions of the M1Naval and Military War Pensions, &c., Act, 1915, and any Act amending the same, including this Act, which are applicable to officers, shall extend so as to be applicable to nurses; and, accordingly in those Acts any reference to officers shall be construed as including a reference to nurses.

10 Short title.

This Act may be cited as the War Pensions (Administrative Provisions) Act, 1919, and the War Pensions Acts, 1915 to 1918, and this Act may be cited together as the War Pensions Acts, 1915 to 1919.

SCHEDULE Constitution, Jurisdiction, and Procedure of Pensions Appeal Tribunals

Section 8.

1

F22Such number of pensions appeal tribunals shall be constituted for Scotland and Northern Ireland as the Lord Chancellor, after consultation with the Minister of Pensions, may determine.

2

The members of each tribunal shall be appointed by the Lord Chancellor, and shall consist of—

i

one legal representative, . . . F8; and

F9ii

a person who has served in Her Majesty’s Forces

iii

a duly qualified medical practitioner.

F102A

For the purposes of paragraph 2(i) the legal representative shall be—

F14a

a person who satisfies the judicial-appointment eligibility condition on a 5-year basis;

b

an advocate or solicitor in Scotland of at least F155 years’ standing; or

c

a member of the Bar of Northern Ireland or solicitor of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland of at least F165 years’ standing.

3

In the case of a casual vacancy on a pensions appeal tribunal the Lord Chancellor may appoint a similarly qualified person to fill the vacancy.

4

The legal representative shall be the chairman of each tribunal.

5

The number of members of a tribunal to hear any particular case shall be three. Where the claim is that of an officer the second member shall be an officer, and where the claim to be heard is that of a man, the second member shall be a man.

6

There shall be paid to the members of pensions appeal tribunals such remuneration as the Treasury may determine, and any such remuneration and any expenses which may be incurred by a tribunal up to such amount as is sanctioned by the Treasury shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament.

7

No court fees shall be charged on the hearing of any case before a pensions appeal tribunal.

8

Subject as aforesaid, the Lord Chancellor may make regulations with respect to the procedure of pensions appeal tribunals, and may by such regulations provide for . . . F11the summoning of expert and other witnesses, the representation of the claimants and the Ministry at the hearing of any appeal, the arrangements for the sittings of the tribunals (including the sitting of more than one tribunal in the same area) the particular cases which any tribunal shall hear, and such other matters as may be required for the due and speedy determination of appeals.

C79

Lord Chancellor” shall mean, in the application of this schedule to Scotland, the Lord President of the Court of Session, and in its application to Ireland, the Lord Chancellor of Ireland.