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The Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999

1999/3147 · Made 24 November 1999 · Extends to Northern Ireland

Not fully up to date. 20 changes made by later legislation have not yet been written into this text, which is revised to 1 April 2026.

See the changes not yet applied
ProvisionChangeMade by
art. 58-61repealedWelfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007 Sch. 8
art. 57repealedWelfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2010 Sch. 4 Pt. 3
art. 69(3)(b)repealedWelfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2010 Sch. 4 Pt. 3
art. 73(6)(7)words repealedWelfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2010 Sch. 4 Pt. 3
art. 35(2A)(a)substitutedPension Schemes Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 Sch. 2 para. 19
Sch. 9 para. 20(3)omittedPension Schemes Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 Sch. 1 para. 11(a)
Sch. 9 para. 55 56repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 1
Sch. 9 para. 58repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 1
Sch. 9 para. 59repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 1
Sch. 9 para. 61repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 1
art. 64repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 8
Sch. 8 para. 32(2)(c)repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 9
art. 54repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 1
art. 55repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 1
art. 69(3)(a)repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 1
Sch. 7 para. 15repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 1
Sch. 8 para. 27(4)(5)repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 1
Sch. 8 para. 27(7)repealedThe Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 Sch. 12 Pt. 1
art. 3(5)word substitutedPension Schemes Act 2021 Sch. 11 para. 15(1)(a)
art. 3(5)words insertedPension Schemes Act 2021 Sch. 11 para. 15(1)(b)

F224th November 1999 C1

Annotations to the whole text

Textual amendments

F1

functions transf. by SR 1999/481

F2

functions transf. by 2005 NI 1

Modifications

C1

Order: certain provisions applied (with modifications) (1.10.2010) by Employment and Support Allowance (Transitional Provisions and Housing Benefit) (Existing Awards) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 (S.R. 2010/312), regs. 1, 16, Sch. 2

Contents

  1. Part I: INTRODUCTORY
  2. 1Title and commencement
  3. 2Interpretation
  4. IISTAKEHOLDER PENSION SCHEMES
  5. 3Meaning of “stakeholder pension scheme”
  6. 4Registration of stakeholder pension schemes
  7. 5Duty of employers to facilitate access to stakeholder pension schemes
  8. 8Application of certain statutory provisions
  9. 9Interpretation and application of Part II
  10. Part III: PENSIONS: GENERAL
  11. Payments by employers to pension schemes
  12. 10Monitoring of employers' payments to personal pension schemes
  13. 11Late payments by employers to occupational pension schemes
  14. Pensions and bankruptcy
  15. 12Effect of bankruptcy on pension rights: approved arrangements
  16. 13Effect of bankruptcy on pension rights: unapproved arrangements
  17. 14No forfeiture on bankruptcy of rights under pension schemes
  18. 15Excessive pension contributions made by persons who have become bankrupt
  19. Miscellaneous
  20. 16Compensating occupational pension schemes Repealed
  21. Part IV: PENSIONS ON DIVORCE ETC.
  23. 20Extension to overseas divorces etc.
  24. Miscellaneous
  25. 21Supply of pension information in connection with divorce etc.
  26. 22Charges by pension arrangements in relation to earmarking orders
  27. 23Interpretation of Part IV
  28. Part V: PENSION SHARING
  29. Chapter I: SHARING OF RIGHTS UNDER PENSION ARRANGEMENTS
  30. Pension sharing mechanism
  31. 24Scope of mechanism
  32. 25Activation of pension sharing
  33. 26Creation of pension debits and credits
  34. 27Cash equivalents
  35. Pension debits
  36. 28Reduction of benefit
  37. 29Effect on contracted-out rights
  38. Pension credits
  39. 30Time for discharge of liability
  40. 31“Implementation period”
  41. 32Mode of discharge of liability
  42. Treatment of pension credit rights under schemes
  43. 33Safeguarded rights Repealed
  44. 34Requirements relating to pension credit benefit
  45. 35Treatment in winding up
  46. Indexation
  47. 36Public service pension schemes
  48. 37Other pension schemes
  49. Charges by pension arrangements
  50. 38Charges in respect of pension sharing costs
  51. Adaptation of statutory schemes
  52. 39Extension of scheme-making powers
  53. 40Power to extend judicial pension schemes
  54. Supplementary
  55. 41Disapplication of restrictions on alienation
  56. 42Information
  57. 43Interpretation of Chapter I
  58. Chapter II: SHARING OF STATE SCHEME RIGHTS
  59. 44Shareable state scheme rights
  60. 45Activation of benefit sharing
  61. 46Creation of state scheme pension debits and credits : transferor in old state pension system or pension sharing activated before 6 April 2016
  62. 46ACreation of debits and credits: transferor in new state pension system and sharing activated on or after 6 April 2016
  63. 47Effect of state scheme pension debits and credits
  64. 48Interpretation of Chapter II
  65. Part VI: WELFARE
  66. Chapter I: SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS
  67. Additional pensions
  68. 49Preservation of rights in respect of additional pensions
  69. State maternity allowance
  70. 50Extension of entitlement to state maternity allowance
  71. Benefits for widows and widowers
  72. 51Bereavement payments
  73. 52New allowances for bereaved spouses
  74. 53Entitlement to Category B retirement pension by reference to new allowances
  75. Work-focused interviews
  76. 54Claim or full entitlement to certain benefits conditional on work-focused interview
  77. 55Optional work-focused interviews
  78. Jobseeker's allowance
  79. 57Special schemes for claimants for jobseeker's allowance
  80. Incapacity for work
  81. 58Incapacity for work: personal capability assessments
  82. Incapacity benefits
  83. 59Incapacity benefit: restriction to recent contributors
  84. 60Incapacity benefit: reduction for pension payments
  85. 61Incapacity benefit: persons incapacitated in youth
  86. 62Abolition of severe disablement allowance
  87. Disability benefits
  88. 63Attendance allowance
  89. 64Disability living allowance
  90. Miscellaneous
  91. 65Certain overpayments of benefit not to be recoverable
  92. 66Child benefit: claimant to state national insurance number
  93. Supplementary
  94. 68Sharing of functions as regards claims and information
  95. 69Supply of information for certain purposes
  96. Chapter II: OTHER WELFARE PROVISIONS
  97. 70Measures to reduce under-occupation by housing benefit claimants
  98. 71Supply of information for child support purposes Repealed
  99. Part VII: GENERAL
  100. Miscellaneous
  101. 72Authorisation of certain expenditure
  102. Supplementary
  103. 73Regulations and orders
  104. 74Consequential amendments etc.
  105. 75Transitional provisions
  106. Schedule 1: APPLICATION OF THE PENSION SCHEMES ACT AND THE PENSIONS ORDER TO REGISTERED SCHEMES
  107. 1Paragraph 1
  108. Paragraph
  109. Schedule Schedule
  110. Schedule Schedule
  111. Schedule Schedule
  112. Schedule 5: PENSION CREDITS: MODE OF DISCHARGE
  113. Part
  114. Funded pension schemes
  115. 1Paragraph 1
  116. Unfunded public service pension schemes
  117. 2Paragraph 2
  118. Other unfunded occupational pension schemes
  119. 3Paragraph 3
  120. Other pension arrangements
  121. 4Paragraph 4
  122. Appropriate rights
  123. 5Paragraph 5
  124. Qualifying arrangements
  125. 6Paragraph 6
  126. Disqualification as destination for pension credit
  127. 7Paragraph 7
  128. Adjustments to amount of pension credit
  129. 8Paragraph 8
  130. 9Paragraph 9
  131. 10Paragraph 10
  132. General
  133. 11Paragraph 11
  134. 12Paragraph 12
  135. 13Paragraph 13
  136. 13AParagraph 13A
  137. 14Paragraph 14
  138. Schedule Schedule
  139. Schedule Schedule
  140. Schedule Schedule
  141. Schedule Schedule
  142. Schedule Schedule