(1)Subject to the provisions of this section, regulations may provide for entitling to unemployment benefit, sickness benefit, a maternity allowance, widow's benefit, a retirement pension or a death grant persons who would be entitled thereto but for the fact—
(a)in the case of benefit of any description other than maternity allowance, that the relevant contribution conditions are not satisfied as respects the number of contributions paid or credited in a contribution year or the yearly average of contributions paid or credited ;
(b)in the case of maternity allowance, that the relevant contribution conditions, though satisfied as respects the twenty-six contributions required to have been actually paid, are not satisfied as respects the fifty contributions required to have been paid by or credited to the claimant.
(2)The reference in subsection (1)(b) of this section to the relevant contribution conditions includes a reference to those conditions as modified by regulations in their application to cases falling within section 24(6) of this Act.
(3)Regulations under this section shall provide that benefit payable by virtue of any such regulations shall be payable at a rate, or shall be of an amount, less than that specified in Schedule 3 or 4 to this Act, and the rate or amount prescribed by the regulations may vary with the extent to which the contribution conditions are satisfied:
Provided that the amount of—
(a)any increase of benefit in respect of a child ; and
(b)any increase of a retirement pension in respect of contributions paid after attaining pensionable age,
shall be the same as if the relevant contribution conditions had been fully satisfied.
(4)Regulations under this section shall apply to child's special allowance in like manner as they apply to widow's benefit, except that the weekly rate of such an allowance payable by virtue of those regulations shall be the same as if the relevant contribution conditions had been fully satisfied.