Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, “house allowance” means the estimated value of free quarters as defined in regulations under this Act; “inducement allowance” means the inducement allowance referred to in paragraph (a) of clause (3) of the Overseas Service (British Honduras) Agreement, 1961, or any allowance substituted therefore in a subsequent Agreement amending or replacing that Agreement; “non-pensionable office” means an office which is not a pensionable office; “other public service” means public service not under the Government of Belize; 6 “pensionable emoluments,” (a) in respect of service under the Government of Belize include, (i) salary; (ii) inducement allowance; (iii) personal allowance; (iv) house allowance; but do not include duty allowance, entertainment allowance or any other emoluments whatever; (b) in respect of other public service, means emoluments which count for pension in accordance with the law or regulations in force in such service; “pensionable office” means, (a) in respect of public service under the Government of Belize, an office which by virtue of provisions for the time being in force in a notice made by the Governor- General and published in the Gazette is declared to be a pensionable office; and any such notification may from time to time be amended, added to or revoked by a notification so made and published; but where by virtue of any such amendment or revocation so long as any person holding that office at the time of the amendment or revocation continues therein, the office shall as respects that person continue to be a pensionable office; 7 (b) in relation to other public service, an office which is for the time being a pensionable office under the law or regulations in force in respect of such service; (c) from the date of commencement of this paragraph, the office of an open vote worker; “personal allowance” means a special addition to salary granted personally to the holder for the time being of the office but does not include such an addition if it is granted subject to the condition that it shall not be pensionable; “public service” means, (i) the public service as defined in section 131 of the Constitution, Cap. 4; (ii) any other service that the Governor- General may determine to be public service for the purpose of this Act; “salary” means the salary attached to a pensionable office or, where provision is made for taking service in a non- pensionable office into account as pensionable service, the salary attached to that office. (2) For the avoidance of doubt it is hereby declared that where an officer has been confirmed in a pensionable office and is thereafter appointed to another pensionable office, then, unless the terms of such appointment otherwise require, such last mentioned office is for the purposes of this Act an office in which he has been confirmed. (3) Where a pensionable office is abolished and the person holding that office retires from the public service in consequence he shall, if the office is abolished before that day, 8 be deemed to have continued to hold it until the day immediately preceding the date of his retirement. (4) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Act, the Pensions Regulations or any other law, the provisions of this Act and the Pension Regulations apply to the office of an open vote worker as they apply to other pensionable offices. (5) For the purpose of this Act and the Pension Regulations, “qualifying service” or “pensionable service” in respect of an open vote worker, means the inclusive period between the date in which the open vote worker begins to draw salary in respect of public service without deduction of any period during which the worker has been absent on leave. (6) Paragraph (c) of the definition of the expression “pensionable office”, subsections (4) and (5) of this section and this subsection only affect open vote workers in the public service under the Government of Belize on the date of commencement of this Act.