Records of the Pensions Commutation Board

Division within NDO

1869-1980

Records of the Pensions Commutation Board relating to its responsibilities for advising the Treasury on applications for the commutation of service and certain other public office pensions into lump sums.

Comprising minutes of the board in NDO 14 and registered files in NDO 18

For specimen forms see

NDO 900/88

Public Record(s)

English

2 series

Topics

Pay and pensions

Under the Pensions Commutation Act 1869 a Pensions Commutation Board was constituted consisting of the comptroller general of the National Debt Office and four other persons nominated by the Treasury. They were required to advise the Treasury on the cases of applicants for the commutation of naval or military pensions. The act applied only to officers and persons entitled to pensions out of the sums voted by Parliament for navy and army services, excluding non-commissioned officers and other ranks and ratings. If approved, payment of a capital sum was authorised based upon the estimated expectation of life of the pension-holder.

By the Pensions Commutation Act 1871 the board was reconstituted and it was provided that commutation could take place in the cases of pensions awarded to (a) commissioned officers and warrant officers of the naval and land forces and of subordinate officers in the Navy and (b) to holders of public civil office paid out of moneys provided by Parliament for supply services to whom an annual pension had been granted by way of compensation on retirement or removal as a result of abolition or reorganisation of their office or for the purpose of facilitating improvements in the organisation of the department to which they belonged.

By an order in Council of 1918 provision was made for similar commutation of pensions awarded to officers of the Royal Air Force. Arising out of the disbandment of the Royal Irish Constabulary the provisions of the 1871 act were also made available to members of that force under the Constabulary (Ireland) Act 1922.

The secretariat of the board was provided by the National Debt Office until ApriI 1980 when responsibility for this passed to the National Investment and Loans Office. The Pensions Commutation Board was dissolved on 24th August 1984, under the provisions of the Pensions Commutation Act 1984, and the power to authorise commutations was vested in the officer's former employing department.