Explanatory note

This Order amends certain provisions of legislation relating to pensions and benefit payments, extending those provisions to cover civil partnerships.

Article 1 provides for citation and commencement. Article 2 introduces the Schedule containing the amendments.

In the Schedule—

• Paragraph 1 amends section 62(1) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 to allow regulations to extend section 36 of the National Insurance Act (Northern Ireland) 1966 to provide that a surviving civil partner who attains pensionable age before 6th April 2010 may be entitled to graduated retirement benefit on the same conditions as a widower.

• Paragraph 2 amends Article 162 of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 which has the effect of disapplying the prohibitions on assignment of private pensions to third parties in a number of statutory provisions in the case of a pension earmarking or attachment order made by a court under the powers contained in Part 5 of Schedule 15 to the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

An assessment of the impact on business, charities or the voluntary sector of the provisions in this Order is included in the Regulatory Impact Assessment that accompanied the Civil Partnership Act 2004. A copy of that assessment has been placed in the libraries of both Houses of Parliament. Copies may be obtained from the DTI website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/access/ria/index.htm#equality.