The Judicial Pensions Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015

Guaranteed minimum pensions for surviving spouses and civil partners

110.—(1) If a person who is the surviving spouse or civil partner of a deceased active, deferred or pensioner member has a guaranteed minimum under section 13(1) (minimum pensions for widows and widowers) of the 1993 Act in relation to benefits in respect of the deceased member under this scheme—

(a) nothing in these Regulations permits or requires anything that would cause requirements made by or under that Act in relation to such a person and such a person’s rights under a scheme not to be met in the case of the person;

(b) nothing in these Regulations prevents anything from being done which is necessary or expedient for the purposes of meeting such requirements in the case of the person; and

(c) paragraph (2) is without prejudice to the generality of this paragraph.

(2) If apart from this regulation—

(a) no pension would be payable to the surviving spouse or civil partner under this Part; or

(b) the weekly rate of the pensions payable would be less than the guaranteed minimum,

a pension the weekly rate of which is equal to the guaranteed minimum is payable to the surviving spouse or civil partner for life or, as the case may be, pensions the aggregate weekly rate of which is equal to the guaranteed minimum are so payable.

(3) Paragraph (2) does not apply to a pension that is forfeited—

(a) as a result of a conviction for treason; or

(b) under regulation 151, in a case where the relevant offence within the meaning of regulation 151 is an offence under the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989(2).

(1)

Section 13 was amended by the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/67) Article 3(1), Schedule 1 paragraph 42, the Civil Partnership (Contracted-out Occupational and Appropriate Personal Pension Schemes) (Surviving Civil Partners) Order (Northern Ireland) 2005 (S.R. 2005 No. 433) Schedule 1, paragraph 5, the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2000 (c. 4) (N.I.) sections 52, 67, Schedule 3, paragraph 3, Schedule 5 paragraph 1, the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (S.I. 1995/3213 (N.I. 22))) Article 261(2),and the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (c. 1(N.I)) section 12.

(2)

1989 c. 6; see section 16(2) for the meaning of “Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989”.