2009 No. 109

PENSIONS

Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009

Made13th March 2009

Coming into operation6th April 2009

In accordance with section 132 of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 19921 the Department for Social Development2 has given a direction3 that the sums which are the additional pensions in long-term benefits are to be increased by a specified percentage.

The Department of Finance and Personnel now makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 69(1), (2), (5) and (5ZA) of the Social Security Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 19754 and now vested in it5.

Citation and commencement1

This Order may be cited as the Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 2009 and shall come into operation on 6th April 2009.

Interpretation2

1

In this Order—

“the 1971 Act” means the Pensions (Increase) Act (Northern Ireland) 19716;
“the 1975 Order” means the Social Security Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1975;
“basic rate” and “derivative pension” have the meanings given by section 15(1) of the 1971 Act7;
“existing Orders” means the Orders referred to in the Schedule;
“official pension” has the meaning given by section 5(1) of the 1971 Act;
“pension authority” has the meaning given by section 7(1) of the 1971 Act;
“qualifying condition” means one of the conditions laid down in section 3 of the 1971 Act8;
“relevant injury pension”, “substituted pension” and “widow’s pension” have the meanings given by section 15(1) of the 1971 Act.

2

For the purpose of this Order the time when a pension “begins” is that stated in section 8(2) of the 1971 Act9, and the “beginning date” shall be construed accordingly.

3

Where, for the purposes of this Order, it is necessary to calculate the number of complete months in any period an incomplete month shall be treated as a complete month if it consists of at least 16 days.

Increases in certain pensions3

1

The pension authority may, if any of the conditions in paragraph (2) are fulfilled, increase the annual rate of an official pension in respect of any period on or after 6th April 2009 as follows—

a

a pension beginning before 7th April 2008 may be increased by 5.0 per cent of the basic rate (as increased by the amount of any increase under section 1 of the 1971 Act or the existing Orders);

b

a pension beginning on or after 7th April 2008 and before 6th April 2009 may be increased by 5.0 per cent multiplied by—

\frac{A}{B}

where

i
A is the number of complete months in the period between the beginning date of the pension and 6th April 2009; and
ii
B is 12.

2

Those conditions are—

a

a qualifying condition is satisfied;

b

the official pension is—

i

a derivative pension;

ii

a substituted pension; or

iii

a relevant injury pension.

Increase in certain lump sums4

1

This article applies to any lump sum or instalment of a lump sum which became payable on or after 7th April 2008 but before 6th April 2009.

2

The pension authority may increase a lump sum or instalment of a lump sum to which this article applies by 5.0 per cent of the amount of the lump sum or instalment (as increased by the amount of any increase under section 1 of the 1971 Act or under the existing Orders) multiplied by—

\frac{A}{B}

where

a: A is the number of complete months in the period between the beginning date for the lump sum or, if later, 7th April 2008 and the date on which it became payable; and
b: B is 12.

Reduction in respect of guaranteed minimum pensions

5

Where—

a

a person is entitled to a guaranteed minimum pension on 6th April 2009; and

b

entitlement to that guaranteed minimum arises from an employment from which (either directly or by virtue of the payment of a transfer credit) entitlement to the official pension also arises,

the amount by reference to which any increase in the rate of an official pension provided for by this Order is to be calculated shall be reduced by an amount equal to the rate of the guaranteed minimum pension unless the Department of Finance and Personnel10 in accordance with the provisions of Article 69A11 of the 1975 Order, otherwise directs.

6

The amount by reference to which any increase in the rate of a widow’s or widower’s pension provided for by this Order is to be calculated shall, where the pensioner becomes entitled on the death of the deceased spouse to a guaranteed minimum pension, be reduced in accordance with Article 69(5ZA)12 of the 1975 Order.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 13th March 2009

John McKervillA senior officer of the Department of Finance and Personnel

SCHEDULEExisting Orders

Article 2(1)

The Pensions Increase (Annual Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 197213.
The Pensions Increase (Annual Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 197314.
The Pensions Increase (Annual Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 197415.
The Pensions Increase (Annual Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 197516.
The Pensions Increase (Annual Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 197617.
The Pensions Increase (Annual Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 197718.
The Pensions Increase (Annual Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 197819.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 197920.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 198021.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 198122.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 198223.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 198324.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 198425.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 198526.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 198627.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 198728.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 198829.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 198930.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 199031.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 199132.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 199233.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 199334.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 199435.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 199536.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 199637.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 199738.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 199839.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 199940.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 200041.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 200142.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 200243.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 200344.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 200445.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 200546.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 200647.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 200748.
The Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 200849.

(This note is not part of the Order.)

This Order provides for increases in the rates of public service pensions.

The increase to be made in the rates of such pensions is the percentage (or in some circumstances a fraction of the percentage) by which the Department for Social Development has increased the sums which are the additional pensions in long-term benefits, namely the additional pension entitlements accruing to employees in respect of their earnings after 5th April 1978.

For pensions which began before 7th April 2008 the increase is 5.0%.

For pensions which began on or after 7th April 2008 the increases are as follows:—

Pensions Beginning	Percentage Increase	Pensions Beginning	Percentage Increase
7th April 2008 to 21st April 2008	5.00%	22nd November 2008 to 21st December 2008	1.67%
22nd April 2008 to 21st May 2008	4.58%	22nd December 2008 to 21st January 2009	1.25%
22nd May 2008 to 21st June 2008	4.17%	22nd January 2009 to 21st February 2009	0.83%
22nd June 2008 to 21st July 2008	3.75%	22st February 2009 to 21st March 2009	0.42%
22nd July 2008 to 21st August 2008	3.33%	22nd March 2009 onwards	Nil
22nd August 2008 to 21st September 2008	2.92%
22nd September 2008 to 21st October 2008	2.50%
22nd October 2008 to 21st November 2008	2.08%

The Order provides for increases on certain deferred lump sums which became payable on or after 7th April 2008 and before 6th April 2009.

The Order also makes provision for the amount by reference to which any increase in the rate of an official pension is to be calculated to be reduced by an amount equal to the rate of the guaranteed minimum pension entitlement deriving from the employment which gives rise to the official pension.