{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/pensions-increase-review-order-northern-ireland-2003/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/pensions-increase-review-order-northern-ireland-2003/note.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/2003/169",
  "legislation_title": "Pensions Increase (Review) Order (Northern Ireland) 2003",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/pensions-increase-review-order-northern-ireland-2003",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Order.)\nUnder Article 69 of the Social Security Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1975 (“the Order of 1975”) as amended, and as modified by Article 69A of that Order, the Department of Finance and Personnel is required to provide by Order for increases in the rates of public service pensions. Under Article 69(7) of the Order of 1975 , Article 69 of that Order has effect as if it were contained in the Pensions (Increase) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971. Section 9(2)(c) of the Act of 1971 provides that references to the ‘rate' of pension shall have effect as references also to the amount of a lump sum benefit.\nThe 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, by virtue of the provisions of section 132 of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, 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.\nFor pensions which began before 8th April 2002 the increase is 1·7%.\nFor pensions which began on or after 8th April 2002 the increases are computed under the formula set out in Article 69(1)(b) of the Order of 1975 and are as follows: –\nPensions Beginning\nPercentage Increase\nPensions Beginning\nPercentage Increase\n8th April 2002 to 22nd April 2002\n1·7%\n23rd November 2002 to 22nd December 2002\n0·57%\n23rd April 2002 to 22nd May 2002\n1·56%\n23rd December 2002 to 22nd January 2003\n0·43%\n23rd May 2002 to 22nd June 2002\n1·42%\n23rd January 2003 to 22nd February 2003\n0·28%\n23rd June 2002 to 22nd July 2002\n1·28%\n23rd February 2003 to 22nd March 2003\n0·14%\n23rd July 2002 to 22nd August 2002\n1·13%\n23rd March 2003 onwards\nNil\n23rd August 2002 to 22nd September 2002\n0·99%\n23rd September 2002 to 22nd October 2002\n0·85%\n23rd October 2002 to 22nd November 2002\n0·71%\nA deferred lump sum which begins on or before 22nd March 2003 and which becomes payable after 6th April 2003 receives the same percentage increase as a pension which begins on the same date.\nArticle 4 of the Order provides for increases on certain deferred lump sums which became payable on or after 8th April 2002 and before 7th April 2003.\nThis Order also provides that the amount by reference to which any increase in the rate of an official pension is to be calculated shall 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. This is required by Article 69(5) of the Order of 1975 but Article 69A of that Order empowers the Department of Finance and Personnel to direct that in respect of specified cases or classes of case either no such reduction shall be made or the reduction shall be less than the rate of the guaranteed minimum pension. Article 69(5ZA) of the Order of 1975 applies Article 69(5) to a widow’s or widower’s pension.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2003/169/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T02:03:34.021627+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}