Welfare Reform and Pensions Bill

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House of Lords

Session 1998-99
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Other Bills before Parliament

Welfare Reform and Pensions Bill

This is the text of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Bill, as amended on Report in the House of Lords and printed on 13th October 1999.

Welfare Reform and Pensions Bill

ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES

PART I

ADDITIONAL PENSION

Clause

1. Additional pension for widows or widowers.

PART II

STAKEHOLDER PENSION SCHEMES

2. Meaning of "stakeholder pension scheme".

3. Registration of stakeholder pension schemes.

4. Duty of employers to facilitate access to stakeholder pension schemes.

5. Obtaining information with respect to compliance with section 4 and corresponding Northern Ireland legislation.

6. Powers of inspection for securing compliance with section 4 and corresponding Northern Ireland legislation.

7. Application of certain enactments.

8. Reduced rates of contributions etc: power to specify different percentages.

9. Interpretation and application of Part II.

PART III

PENSIONS: GENERAL

Payments by employers to pension schemes

10. Monitoring of employers' payments to personal pension schemes.

11. Late payments by employers to occupational pension schemes.

Pensions and bankruptcy

12. Effect of bankruptcy on pension rights: approved arrangements.

13. Effect of bankruptcy on pension rights: unapproved arrangements.

14. Sections 12 and 13: application to Scotland.

15. No forfeiture on bankruptcy of rights under pension schemes.

16. Excessive pension contributions made by persons who have become bankrupt.

17. Excessive pension contributions made by persons who have become bankrupt: Scotland.

Miscellaneous

18. Compensating occupational pension schemes.

19. Miscellaneous amendments.

PART IV

PENSIONS ON DIVORCE ETC.

Pension sharing orders

20. Orders in England and Wales.

21. Orders in Scotland.

Sections 25B to 25D of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973

22. Amendments.

23. Extension to overseas divorces etc.

Miscellaneous

24. Supply of pension information in connection with divorce etc.

25. Charges by pension arrangements in relation to earmarking orders.

Supplementary

26. Power to make consequential amendments of Part IV.

27. Interpretation of Part IV.

PART V

PENSION SHARING

CHAPTER I

SHARING OF RIGHTS UNDER PENSION ARRANGEMENTS

Pension sharing mechanism

28. Scope of mechanism.

29. Activation of pension sharing.

30. Creation of pension debits and credits.

31. Cash equivalents.

Pension debits

32. Reduction of benefit.

33. Effect on contracted-out rights.

Pension credits

34. Time for discharge of liability.

35. "Implementation period".

36. Mode of discharge of liability.

Treatment of pension credit rights under schemes

37. Safeguarded rights.

38. Requirements relating to pension credit benefit.

39. Treatment in winding up.

Indexation

40. Public service pension schemes.

41. Other pension schemes.

Charges by pension arrangements

42. Charges in respect of pension sharing costs.

Adaptation of statutory schemes

43. Extension of scheme-making powers.

44. Power to extend judicial pension schemes.

Supplementary

45. Disapplication of restrictions on alienation.

46. Information.

47. Interpretation of Chapter I.

CHAPTER II

SHARING OF STATE SCHEME RIGHTS

48. Shareable state scheme rights.

49. Activation of benefit sharing.

50. Creation of state scheme pension debits and credits.

51. Effect of state scheme pension debits and credits.

52. Interpretation of Chapter II.

PART VI

WELFARE

CHAPTER I

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS

State maternity allowance

53. Extension of entitlement to state maternity allowance.

Benefits for widows and widowers

54. Bereavement payments.

55. New allowances for bereaved spouses.

56. Entitlement to Category B retirement pension by reference to new allowances.

Work-focused interviews

57. Claim or full entitlement to certain benefits conditional on work-focused interview.

58. Optional work-focused interviews.

Jobseeker's allowance

59. Couples to make joint claim for allowance.

60. Special schemes for claimants for jobseeker's allowance.

Incapacity for work

61. Incapacity for work: personal capability assessments.

Incapacity benefit

62. Incapacity benefit: persons incapacitated in youth.

Disability benefits

63. Attendance allowance.

64. Disability living allowance.

Miscellaneous

65. Certain overpayments of benefit not to be recoverable.

66. Child benefit: claimant to state national insurance number.

67. Welfare benefits: miscellaneous amendments.

Supplementary

68. Sharing of functions as regards claims and information.

69. Supply of information for certain purposes.

CHAPTER II

NATIONAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS

70. New threshold for primary Class 1 contributions.

71. New threshold for primary Class 1 contributions: Northern Ireland.

72. Class 1B contributions.

73. Class 1B contributions: Northern Ireland.

CHAPTER III

OTHER WELFARE PROVISIONS

74. Measures to reduce under-occupation by housing benefit claimants.

75. Supply of information for child support purposes.

PART VII

GENERAL

Miscellaneous

76. Contributions and pensions administration.

77. Authorisation of certain expenditure.

Supplementary

78. Regulations and orders.

79. Consequential amendments etc.

80. Transitional provisions.

81. General financial provisions.

82. Corresponding provisions for Northern Ireland.

83. Repeals.

84. Commencement.

85. Extent.

86. Short title, general interpretation and Scottish devolution.

SCHEDULES:

    Schedule 1 - Application of 1993 and 1995 Acts to registered schemes.

    Schedule 2 - Pensions: miscellaneous amendments.

    Schedule 3 - Pension sharing orders: England and Wales.

    Schedule 4 - Amendments of sections 25B to 25D of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973.

    Schedule 5 - Pension credits: mode of discharge.

    Schedule 6 - Effect of state scheme pension debits and credits.

    Schedule 7 - Joint claims for jobseeker's allowance.

    Schedule 8 - Welfare benefits: minor and consequential amendments.

    Part I - Bereavement benefits.

    Part II - Incapacity.

    Part III - Abolition of severe disablement allowance.

    Part IV - Income support.

    Part V - Jobseeker's allowance.

    Part VI - Maternity allowance.

    Part VII - Retirement pensions.

    Part VIII - Administration of benefits.

    Schedule 9 - New threshold for primary Class 1 contributions.

    Part I - New primary threshold.

    Part II - Reduced contributions in respect of members of contracted-out schemes.

    Part III - National Health Service allocation.

    Schedule 10 - New threshold for primary Class 1 contributions: Northern Ireland.

    Part I - New primary threshold.

    Part II - Reduced contributions in respect of members of contracted-out schemes.

    Part III - Health Service allocation.

    Schedule 11 - Contributions and pensions administration.

    Schedule 12 - Consequential amendments.

    Part I - Amendments consequential on Parts IV and V.

    Part II - Other consequential amendments.

    Schedule 13 - Repeals.

    Part I - Pensions: miscellaneous.

    Part II - Pensions on divorce etc.

    Part III - Pension sharing.

    Part IV - Abolition of severe disablement allowance.

    Part V - Benefits: miscellaneous.

    Part VI - National Insurance contributions etc.

    Part VII - National Insurance contributions etc: Northern Ireland.

© Parliamentary copyright 1999
Prepared 15 October 1999