(1)Except where regulations otherwise provide, a person shall be disqualified for receiving any benefit, and an increase of benefit shall not be payable in respect of any person as the beneficiary's wife or husband, for any period during which that person—
(a)is absent from Great Britain; or
(b)is undergoing, imprisonment or detention in legal custody.
(2)Regulations may provide for the suspension of payment to or in respect of any person during any such period as aforesaid of benefit which is excepted from the operation of subsection (1) of this section or which is payable otherwise than in respect of that period.
(3)Regulations may provide for disqualifying a person—
(a)subject to paragraph 5(2) of Schedule 11 to this Act, for the receipt of any benefit if he fails to make his claim therefor within the prescribed time; and
(b)for the receipt of sickness benefit if he fails, on becoming or again becoming incapable of work, to give the prescribed notice of that fact within the prescribed time:
Provided that any such regulations shall provide for extending, subject to any prescribed conditions, the time within which the claim may be made or notice may be given in cases where good cause is shown for delay.
(4)Notwithstanding any regulations made by virtue of the proviso to subsection (3) of this section, no sum shall be paid to any person—
(a)on account of maternity grant in respect of a confinement occurring more than six months before the date on which the claim for the grant is made ;
(b)on account of death grant in any case where the prescribed time for making a claim falls to be extended by virtue of the said proviso by more than six months ;
(c)subject to paragraph 5(2) of Schedule 11 to this Act, on account of any other benefit in respect of any period more than six months before the date on which the claim for the benefit is made;
but regulations made by virtue of subsection (3)(a) of this section may vary or revoke the provisions of this subsection with respect to any benefit.
(5)Subject to subsection (6) of this section, where it appears to the Minister that a question has arisen whether—
(a)the conditions for the receipt of benefit payable under an award are or were fulfilled ; or
(b)an award of benefit ought to be revised in accordance with Part IV of this Act,
he may direct that payment of the benefit shall be suspended in whole or in part until that question has been determined:
Provided that this subsection shall not apply in any case where the question has arisen as to whether the claimant has ceased to be entitled to receive unemployment benefit by reason of any of the provisions of section 22(2)(b) to (e) of this Act.
(6)Regulations may provide that subsection (5) of this section shall cease to apply to any case, or to cases of any specified description, to which it would otherwise apply, or shall apply to cases of any specified description to which it would not otherwise apply.