The Welfare Reform and Pensions (1999 Order) (Commencement No. 3) Order (Northern Ireland) 2000

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order.)

This Order provides for the coming into operation of the following provisions of the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (“the Order”)—

• paragraph 60 of Schedule 9 which amends the Deregulation and Contracting Out (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 on 18th April 2000 (Article 2(1)),

• Article 66 (which provides for entitlement to child benefit to be conditional on the claimant’s stating, or providing information about, or applying for, his national insurance number) on 18th April 2000, for the purpose only of authorising the making of regulations, and on 15th May 2000 for all other purposes (Article 2(2)),

• Articles 51 to 53 (which make provision in connection with bereavement benefits), and related provisions in Schedules 8 and 10, and Articles 67 and 76 in so far as they relate to them, on 24th April 2000, for the purpose only of authorising the making of regulations, and on 9th April 2001 for all other purposes (Part I of the Schedule),

• certain provisions of Schedules 2 and 10 (which contain miscellaneous amendments of the law relating to pensions and repeals) in so far as those provisions are not already in operation, and Articles 17 and 76 in so far as they relate to them, on 25th April 2000 (Part II of the Schedule),

• Part II and Schedule 1 (which introduces arrangements for stakeholder pension schemes), in so far as those provisions are not already in operation, on 1st October 2000 in part (Part III of the Schedule), and fully on 8th October 2001 (Part V of the Schedule),

• Articles 21, 22, 23 (which make provision in connection with the treatment of pensions on divorce or on annulment of marriage) and Part V and Schedules 5 and 6 (which introduce arrangements for the sharing of pensions), in so far as those provisions are not already in operation, and related consequential amendments and repeals in Schedules 8, 9 and 10, and Articles 67, 74(1) and 76 in so far as they relate to them, on 1st December 2000 (Part IV of the Schedule).