The State Pension Credit (2002 Act) (Commencement No. 1) Order (Northern Ireland) 2002

Made: 28th November 2002

The Department for Social Development, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by section 21(2) of the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002[^f00001] and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Order:

Citation and interpretation

1

• (1) This Order may be cited as the State Pension Credit (2002 Act) (Commencement No. 1) Order (Northern Ireland) 2002.

• (2) In this Order any reference to a numbered section or Schedule is to the section of, or the Schedule to, the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 bearing that number.

Appointed days

2

• (1) The day appointed for the coming into operation of–

• (a) section 1 (entitlement);

• (b) section 2 (guarantee credit);

• (c) section 3 (savings credit);

• (d) section 4 (exclusions);

• (e) section 5 (income and capital of claimant, spouse, etc);

• (f) section 6 (duty to specify assessed income period);

• (g) section 7 (fixing of claimant’s retirement provision for assessed income period);

• (h) section 9 (duration of assessed income period);

• (i) section 11 (administration);

• (j) section 12 (polygamous marriages);

• (k) section 13 (transitional provisions);

• (l) section 14 (minor and consequential amendments) except so far as it relates to paragraph 3 of Schedule 2;

• (m) section 15 (income and capital);

• (n) section 16 (retirement pension income); and

• (o) section 17 (other interpretation provisions),

is 2nd December 2002 for the purposes only of exercising any power to make regulations or orders.

• (2) The day appointed for the coming into operation of section 17(1), in so far as it relates to the definition of “the Pension Schemes Act”, and section 18 (equal treatment for widows and widowers), is 14th January 2003.

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 28th November 2002.

John O'Neill — Senior Officer of the — Department for Social Development

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order.)

This Order appoints 2nd December 2002 as the day for the coming into operation of certain provisions of the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 for the purposes of making regulations or orders. The provisions are sections 1 to 7, 9, 11 to 13, 14 (except for consequential amendments in paragraph 3 of Schedule 2 affecting housing benefit) and 15 to 17.

This Order also appoints 14th January 2003 as the day for the coming into operation of sections 17(1) and 18 of the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002. Section 18 amends section 43(1) of the Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993 (c. 49) to provide for equal treatment for widows and widowers in connection with the treatment of their guaranteed minimum pensions.

This Order does not impose a charge on business.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2002 c. 14 (N.I.)