The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (Northern Ireland) 2023

Rates or amounts of certain pensions and allowances under the Contributions and Benefits Act

4.—(1) The sums specified in paragraphs (2) to (5) shall be increased from and including the respective dates specified in Article 7.

(2) The sums falling to be calculated under paragraph 13(4) of Schedule 7 to the Contributions and Benefits Act (calculation of weekly rate of a beneficiary’s retirement allowance) shall be increased by 10.1 per cent.

(3) In section 44(4) of the Contributions and Benefits Act(1) (basic pension of Category A retirement pension)—

(a) for “£113.45” substitute “£124.90”; and

(b) for “£141.85” substitute “£156.20”.

(4) It is directed that the sums which are—

(a) the additional pensions in long-term benefits calculated by reference to any final relevant year earlier than the tax year 2022-2023;

(b) the increases in the rates of retirement pensions under Schedule 5 to the Contributions and Benefits Act(2) (pension increase or lump sum where entitlement to retirement pension is deferred); lump sums to which surviving spouses or civil partners will become entitled under paragraph 7A of that Schedule(3) on becoming entitled to a Category A or Category B retirement pension (entitlement to lump sum where pensioner’s deceased spouse or civil partner has deferred entitlement); and

(c) payable to a pensioner as part of their Category A or Category B retirement pension by virtue of an order made under section 120 of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Act 1975(4), Article 64 of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1986(5) or section 132 of the Administration Act,

shall in each case be increased by 10.1 per cent.

(5) The sums which are shared additional pensions under sections 55A and 55AA of the Contributions and Benefits Act(6), and the sums which are increases in the rates of such pensions under paragraph 2 of Schedule 5A to that Act(7), shall in each case be increased by 10.1 per cent.

(1)

Section 44(4) was substituted by Article 64 of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/1506 (N.I.10)) and amended by Article 4(2) of S.R. 2023 No. 27

(2)

Schedule 5 was amended by paragraph 36 of Schedule 7 to the Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993, paragraphs 6(2) to (4) and 18(15) and (16) of Schedule 2 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/3213 (N.I.22)), section 35(1) of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2000 (c. 4 (N.I.)),Article 273(3) and paragraphs 2 to 13 of Schedule 9 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/255 (N.I.)), paragraph 6 of the Schedule to S.R. 2005 No. 434, paragraph 19 of Schedule 1 to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (c.1 (N.I.)), paragraph 78(2) and (3) of Schedule 12 to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 5 (N.I.)) and regulation 66(18) of S.I. 2019/1514

(3)

Paragraph 7A was inserted by paragraph 10(1) of Schedule 9 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 and amended by paragraph 6(j) of the Schedule to S.R. 2005 No. 434; see also Article 4(3)(b) S.R. 2023 No. 27

(4)

1975 c. 15; section 120 was amended by paragraph 9 of Schedule 3 to the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 (S.I. 1979/396 (N.I. 5)) and repealed by paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 to the Social Security (Consequential Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 9)

(5)

S.I. 1986/1888 (N.I.18); Article 64 was repealed by Schedule 1 to the Social Security (Consequential Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Act 1992

(6)

Section 55A was inserted by paragraph 3 of Schedule 6 to the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 and amended by section 37(3) of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2000 and paragraph 4 of Schedule 11 to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015, and section 55AA was inserted by paragraph 5 of Schedule 11 to that Act

(7)

Schedule 5A was inserted by paragraph 14 of Schedule 9 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005