The Minister of Finance for Northern Ireland may grant pensions or gratuities for meritorious public services, but only within the Act’s eligibility rules and monetary limits.
Civil Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 1925 An Act to enable pensions and gratuities to be granted for meritorious public services. Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Minister of Finance for Northern Ireland (in this Act referred to as “the Minister”) may grant a pension or gratuity on account of meritorious public services rendered by any person— in any public office in Northern Ireland, as respects service in which no provisions of the enactments for the time being in force relating to superannuation apply; or to the cause of science, literature, the fine arts or social work and progress in Northern Ireland; and the Minister may, subject as aforesaid, attach to the grant of any such pension or gratuity such conditions as he may think fit, and may, if he thinks fit, make provision for the payment of the pension or gratuity to trustees on behalf of the person to be benefited thereby. A pension or gratuity under this Act shall not be granted except to a person who, having rendered meritorious public services to which this Act applies, has attained the age of seventy years or is totally incapacitated from his work or occupation, or to the surviving spouse or civil partner, children or dependants of a deceased person who has rendered such meritorious public services. The Minister shall in each case have regard to the private means of the person to whom a pension or gratuity is proposed to be, or has been, granted, and may at any time cancel or alter the amount of any pension according as he thinks fit, and may require any such person to furnish him with a statement of means. One pension or gratuity only, and no more, may be granted to or received by any one person under this Act. Subs. (4) rep. by 1936 c. 31 (NI) No pension shall be granted under this Act of any greater yearly amount than [ two hundred and fifty pounds], and, in the case of the surviving spouse or civil partner, children and dependants of a person who has rendered meritorious public services to which this Act applies, the aggregate yearly amount of all such pensions shall not exceed [ five hundred pounds]. A pension may be granted for a specified period of time or without limitation as to time, but shall in every case cease to be payable on the death of the pensioner. No gratuity shall be granted under this Act of any greater amount than [ two hundred and fifty pounds], and, in the case of the surviving spouse or civil partner, children and dependants of a person who has rendered meritorious public services to which this Act applies, the aggregate amount of all such gratuities shall not exceed [ five hundred pounds]. The amount which may be paid by the Minister in respect of pensions and gratuities under this Act shall not exceed the sum of [ one thousand five hundred pounds] in any financial year. The sums required under this Act for pensions and gratuities shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament, and shall be paid at such times and in such manner as the Minister may direct. The accounts of the appropriation of the supply grants for the purposes of this Act shall be accompanied by a statement showing the names of the persons in receipt of pensions and gratuities under this Act in the financial year to which such accounts relate, the amount of each such pension and gratuity, and the reasons for granting it; but such statement shall not be laid before the House of Commons unless that House, as respects any particular financial year, so directs. This Act may be cited as the Civil Pensions Act (Northern Ireland), 1925. 1965 c.12 (NI) Words in s. 1(2) substituted (13.1.2020) by The Marriage (Same-sex Couples) and Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1514), regs. 1(2), 53(2) (with regs. 6-9) Words in s. 2(1) substituted (13.1.2020) by The Marriage (Same-sex Couples) and Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1514), regs. 1(2), 53(3) (with regs. 6-9) Words in s. 2(2) substituted (13.1.2020) by The Marriage (Same-sex Couples) and Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1514), regs. 1(2), 53(3) (with regs. 6-9)