13.—(1) Where a maintenance agreement provides for the continuation, after the death of one of the parties, of payments for the maintenance of a child and that party dies domiciled in Northern Ireland, the surviving party or the personal representatives of the deceased party may apply to the High Court or a county court for an order under paragraph 12.
(2) If a maintenance agreement is altered by a court on an application under this paragraph, the agreement shall have effect thereafter as if the alteration had been made, immediately before the death, by agreement between the parties and for valuable consideration.
(3) An application under this paragraph shall not, except with leave of the High Court or a county court, be made after the end of the period of six months from the day on which representation in regard to the estate of the deceased is first taken out.
(4) In considering for the purposes of sub-paragraph (3) the question when representation was first taken out, a grant limited to part of the estate of the deceased shall be left out of account unless a grant limited to the remainder of the estate has previously been made or is made at the same time.
(5) A county court shall not entertain an application under this paragraph, or an application for leave to make an application under this paragraph, unless it would have jurisdiction to hear and determine proceedings for an order under Article 4 of the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) (Northern Ireland) Order 1979(1) in relation to the deceased’s estate by virtue of Article 24 of that Order.
(6) The provisions of this paragraph shall not render the personal representatives of the deceased liable for having distributed any part of the estate of the deceased after the expiry of the period of six months referred to in sub-paragraph (3) on the ground that they ought to have taken into account the possibility that a court might grant leave for an application by virtue of this paragraph to be made by the surviving party after that period.
(7) Sub-paragraph (6) shall not prejudice any power to recover any part of the estate so distributed arising by virtue of the making of an order in pursuance of this paragraph.