Survivor benefits: active members
Death grants: active members
40.—(1) If an active member dies before attaining the age of 75 the Committee shall pay a death grant.
(2) The Committee may, at its absolute discretion, pay the death grant to or for the benefit of the member’s nominee, personal representatives or any person appearing to the Committee to have been a relative or dependent of the member at any time.
(3) The death grant is three times the member’s annual assumed pensionable pay calculated in accordance with regulation 23(4) (assumed pensionable pay) as at the date of the member’s death.
(4) If the Committee has not made payments under paragraph (1) equalling in aggregate the member’s death grant before the expiry of two years—
(a)beginning with date of the member’s death; or
(b)where the Committee did not know about the member’s death within that period, beginning with the date on which the Committee could reasonably be expected to have become aware of the member’s death,
it shall pay an amount equal to the shortfall to the member’s personal representatives.
Survivor benefits: partners of active members
41.—(1) If an active member dies leaving a surviving spouse, civil partner or nominated co-habiting partner, that person is entitled to a pension which shall come into payment on the day following the member’s death.
(2) The Committee shall close the active member’s pension account and shall open a survivor member’s pension account from the day following the member’s death.
(3) The opening balance of the survivor member’s pension account is the amount of pension payable to the survivor calculated in accordance with paragraph (4).
(4) The amount of a pension payable under paragraph (3) is calculated by adding together the amounts in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b)—
(a)the pension that the member would have been entitled to draw if—
(i)the member had been entitled to draw a pension on the date of the member’s death,
(ii)the pension the member would have been able to draw on that date had not been subject to any restriction on the age at which it could be drawn, or actuarial adjustment either relating to the age at which it was drawn or following a Scheme Pays Election;
(iii)the pension excluded additional pension purchased under regulation 18 (additional pension contributions) and any additional pension awarded under regulation 32 (award of additional pension);
(iv)the member’s earned pension had accrued at a rate of 1/160th of pensionable pay; and
(v)the amount of earned pension credited under regulation 113(1) (effect of acceptance of transfer value payment) had been multiplied by 49/160;
(b)a sum equivalent to 1/160th of the member’s annual assumed pensionable pay calculated in accordance with regulation 23(4) (assumed pensionable pay) as at the date of the member’s death, for each year or fraction of a year between the date of the member’s death and the member’s normal pension age.
(5) The balance in the survivor member’s pension account at the end of the Scheme year in which the survivor member’s pension account was opened is adjusted at the beginning of the following Scheme year by the revaluation adjustment applicable to the Scheme year in which the survivor member’s pension account was opened, in accordance with actuarial guidance issued by the Department.
(6) The revalued balance calculated under paragraph (5) is the opening balance of the survivor member’s pension account for the following Scheme year and, thereafter, the balance in that survivor member’s pension account is adjusted each year by the index rate adjustment from the date that an increase would apply if that balance were a pension in payment to which the 1971 Act applied.
(7) If there is more than one surviving spouse, they become jointly entitled in equal shares under paragraph (1).
Meaning of “nominated co-habiting partner”
42.—(1) “Nominated co-habiting partner” means a person nominated by a member in accordance with the terms of this regulation.
(2) A member (A) may nominate another person (B) to receive benefits under the Scheme by giving the Committee a declaration signed by both A and B that the condition in paragraph (3) has been satisfied for a continuous period of at least two years which includes the day on which the declaration is signed.
(3) The condition is that—
(a)A is able to marry, or form a civil partnership with, B;
(b)A and B are living together as if they were husband and wife or as if they were civil partners;
(c)neither A nor B is living with a third person as if they were husband and wife or as if they were civil partners; and
(d)either B is financially dependent on A or A and B are financially interdependent.
(4) A nomination has no effect if the condition in paragraph (3) has not been satisfied for a continuous period of at least two years which includes the day on which the declaration is signed.
(5) A nomination ceases to have effect if—
(a)either A or B gives written notice of revocation to the Committee;
(b)A makes a subsequent nomination under this regulation;
(c)either A or B marries, forms a civil partnership or lives with a third person as if they were husband and wife or as if they were civil partners; or
(d)B dies.
(6) B is A’s surviving nominated partner if—
(a)the nomination has effect at the date of A’s death; and
(b)B satisfies the Committee that the condition in paragraph (3) was satisfied for a continuous period of at least two years immediately prior to A’s death.
(7) For the purposes of this regulation, two people of the same sex are to be regarded as living together as if they were civil partners if they would be regarded as living together as husband and wife if they were not of the same sex.
(8) In this regulation “member” means an active member or a former active member who has become a deferred or pensioner member in accordance with these Regulations or the 2009 Regulations.
Survivor benefits: children of active members
43.—(1) If an active member dies leaving one or more eligible children, those eligible children are entitled to a children’s pension which shall come into payment on the day following the member’s death.
(2) The Committee shall open a survivor member’s pension account for the eligible child or children, in accordance with regulation 44 (survivor benefits: children of active member where pension is payable to partner of an active member) or regulation 45 (survivor benefits: children of active member where no pension is payable to partner of active member) from the day following the member’s death.
(3) The children’s pension shall be calculated in accordance with regulation 44 or regulation 45.
(4) The balance in the survivor member’s pension account, at the end of the Scheme year in which the survivor member’s pension account was opened, is adjusted at the beginning of the following Scheme year by the valuation adjustment applicable to the Scheme year in which the survivor member’s pension account was opened, in accordance with actuarial guidance issued by the Department.
(5) The revalued balance calculated under paragraph (4) is the opening balance of the survivor member’s pension account for the following Scheme year and, thereafter, the balance in that survivor member’s pension account is adjusted each year by the index rate adjustment from the date that an increase would apply if that balance were a pension in payment to which the 1971 Act applied.
Survivor benefits: children of active member where pension is payable to partner of an active member
44.—(1) If a pension is payable to a partner of an active member under regulation 41(1) (survivor benefits: partners of active members), the Committee shall open a survivor member’s pension account for the eligible child or children from the day following the member’s death.
(2) The opening balance of a survivor member’s pension account opened under paragraph (1) is the amount of pension payable to the eligible child or children calculated in accordance with paragraph (3) or (4), but if the pension payable under regulation 41(1) (survivor benefits: partners of active members) ceases to be paid, the pension payable to the eligible child or children is recalculated in accordance with regulation 45(3) or (4) as from the day following the date the pension under regulation 41(1) ceased to be paid.
(3) The amount of pension payable under paragraph (2) where there is only one such eligible child is calculated by adding together the amounts in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b)—
(a)the pension that the member would have been entitled to draw if—
(i)the member had been entitled to draw a pension on the date of the member’s death;
(ii)the pension the member would have been able to draw on that date had not been subject to any restriction on the age at which it could be drawn, or actuarial adjustment relating to the age at which it was drawn, or following a Scheme Pays Election, or any pension debit applied on account of a pension sharing order;
(iii)the pension excluded any additional pension purchased under regulation 18 (additional pension contributions) and any additional pension awarded under regulation 32 (award of additional pension);
(iv)the member’s earned pension had accrued at a rate of 1/320th of pensionable pay; and
(v)the amount of earned pension credited under regulation 113(1) (effect of acceptance of transfer value payment) had been multiplied by 49/320;
(b)a sum equivalent to 1/320th of the member’s annual assumed pensionable pay calculated in accordance with regulation 23(4) (assumed pensionable pay) as at the date of the member’s death, for each year or fraction of a year between the date of the member’s death and the member’s normal pension age.
(4) The amount of pension payable under paragraph (2) where there is more than one such eligible child, is calculated by adding together the amounts in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b), and is payable to those children in equal shares—
(a)the pension that the member would have been entitled to draw if—
(i)the member had been able to draw a pension on the date of the member’s death;
(ii)the pension the member would have been able to draw on that date had not been subject to any restriction on the age at which it could be drawn, or actuarial reduction relating to the age at which it was drawn or following a Scheme Pays Election or any pension debit applied on account of a pension sharing order;
(iii)the pension excluded any additional pension purchased under regulation 18 (additional pension contributions) and any additional pension awarded under regulation 32 (award of additional pension);
(iv)the member’s earned pension had accrued at a rate of 1/160th of pensionable pay; and
(v)the amount of earned pension credited under regulation 113(1) (effect of acceptance of transfer value payment) had been multiplied by 49/160;
(b)a sum equivalent to 1/160th of the member’s annual assumed pensionable pay calculated in accordance with regulation 23(4) (assumed pensionable pay) as at the date of the member’s death, for each year or fraction of a year between the date of the member’s death and the member’s normal pension age.
(5) At the point at which the number of eligible children is reduced to one, if a pension is still payable to a surviving partner under regulation 41(1) (survivor benefits: partners of active members), the pension payable to that eligible child is recalculated in accordance with paragraph (3) as from the day following the date the other eligible child’s or children’s pension ceased to be paid.
Survivor benefits: children of active member where no pension is payable to partner of active member
45.—(1) If, on the day following the member’s death, no pension is payable to a partner of an active member under regulation 41(1) (survivor benefits: partners of active members), the Committee shall close the active member’s pension account and shall open a survivor member’s pension account for the eligible child or children from the day following the member’s death.
(2) The opening balance of a survivor member’s pension account opened under paragraph (1) is the amount of pension payable to the eligible child or children, calculated in accordance with paragraph (3) or (4).
(3) The amount of pension payable under paragraph (2) where there is only one such eligible child is calculated by adding together the amounts in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b)—
(a)the pension that the member would have been entitled to draw if—
(i)the member had been entitled to draw a pension on the date of the member’s death;
(ii)the pension the member would have been able to draw on that date had not been subject to any restriction on the age at which it could be drawn, or actuarial adjustment relating to the age at which it was drawn or following a Scheme Pays Election or any pension debit applied on account of a pension sharing order;
(iii)the pension excluded any additional pension purchased under regulation 18 (additional pension contributions) and any additional pension awarded under regulation 32 (award of additional pension);
(iv)the member’s earned pension had accrued at a rate of 1/240th of pensionable pay; and
(v)the amount of earned pension credited under regulation 113(1) (effect of acceptance of transfer value payment) had been multiplied by 49/240;
(b)a sum equivalent to 1/240th of the member’s annual assumed pensionable pay, calculated in accordance with regulation 23(4) (assumed pensionable pay) as at the date of the member’s death, for each year or fraction of a year between the date of the member’s death and the member’s normal pension age.
(4) The amount of pension payable under paragraph (2) where there is more than one such eligible child, is calculated by adding together the amounts in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b), and is payable to those children in equal shares—
(a)the pension that the member would have been entitled to draw if—
(i)the member had been entitled to draw a pension on the date of the member’s death;
(ii)the pension the member would have been able to draw on that date had not been subject to any restriction on the age at which it could be drawn, or actuarial adjustment relating to the age at which it was drawn or following a Scheme Pays Election or any pension debit applied on account of a pension sharing order;
(iii)the pension excluded any additional pension purchased under regulation 18 (additional pension contributions) and any additional pension awarded under regulation 32 (award of additional pension);
(iv)the member’s earned pension had accrued at a rate of 1/120th of pensionable pay; and
(v)the amount of earned pension credited under regulation 113(1) (effect of acceptance of transfer value payment) had been multiplied by 49/120;
(b)a sum equivalent to 1/120th of the member’s annual assumed pensionable pay, calculated in accordance with regulation 23(4) (assumed pensionable pay) as at the date of the member’s death, for each year or fraction of a year between the date of the member’s death and the member’s normal pension age.
(5) At the point at which the number of eligible children is reduced to one, the pension payable to that child is recalculated in accordance with paragraph (3).