The Pensions Act is amended by inserting, immediately after section 2, the following sections:“Pension Authorities2A.—
(1) The President may, for the purposes of this Act, appoint by order in the Gazette one or more Pension Authorities comprising any public officer or group of public officers.(2) The order under subsection (1) shall specify the class or classes of public officers in respect of which a Pension Authority may exercise its powers or perform its functions under this Act.(3) A Pension Authority may depute any public officer to exercise or perform on its behalf any power or function conferred on the Pension Authority by this Act subject to such conditions as may be specified by the Pension Authority.(4) A Pension Authority may exercise any powers or perform any functions conferred on it by this Act notwithstanding the delegation by it of those powers or functions under subsection (3).Delegation of powers to Pension Authorities2B.—
(1) Subject to subsection (2), the President may depute any Pension Authority to exercise or perform on his behalf any power or function conferred on the President by this Act subject to such conditions as may be specified by the President.(2) Nothing in subsection (1) shall authorise the President to depute any Pension Authority to exercise on his behalf any of the following powers:
(a) to make regulations under this Act;
(b) to declare any office or class of office to be pensionable or non-pensionable, as the case may be, under section 2;
(c) to determine any service to be public service for the purpose of any provision of this Act;
(d) to vary the commutation factor or discount rate under section 16;
(e) to designate schemes of service under section 18(3)(a).(3) Where by virtue of subsection (1) any power or function of the President under this Act may be exercised or performed on his behalf by a Pension Authority, then, unless the President otherwise directs, the Pension Authority may arrange for the exercise or performance of that power or function by any other public officer.(4) Any arrangements made by a Pension Authority under subsection (3) for the exercise or performance of any power or function by a public officer shall not prevent the Pension Authority by whom the arrangements were made from exercising or performing that power or function.(5) The President may also exercise any power or perform any function conferred on him by this Act notwithstanding the delegation by him of that power or function under subsection (1).”.