{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/child-benefit-child-support-and-social-security-miscellaneous-amendments-regulations-northern-ireland-1996/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/child-benefit-child-support-and-social-security-miscellaneous-amendments-regulations-northern-ireland-1996/note.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/1996/288",
  "legislation_title": "The Child Benefit, Child Support and Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/child-benefit-child-support-and-social-security-miscellaneous-amendments-regulations-northern-ireland-1996",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Regulations.)\nThese Regulations, in particular regulation 2(2), amend the Child Benefit and Social Security (Fixing and Adjustment of Rates) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1976 (“the Child Benefit Rates Regulations”) so as to specify a composite rate of child benefit to be payable in respect of the only, elder or eldest child of a lone parent rather than two distinct rates.\nThe Regulations also make certain other amendments which are consequential on, or relate to, the above—\n(a) they omit a transitional provision in the Child Benefit Rates Regulations which is no longer necessary (regulation 2(3));\n(b) they amend the Social Security (Overlapping Benefits) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1979 so as to provide for the reduction of awards of certain benefits and increases in those benefits where child benefit is being paid in respect of the only, elder or eldest child of a lone parent (regulation 4);\n(c) they amend the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 and the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 in relation to the calculation of notional income in so far as it relates to the new composite rate of child benefit (regulations 5(2) and 9(2));\n(d) they make consequential amendments to—\n(i) the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 (regulation 6), and\n(ii) the Child Support (Maintenance Assessments and Special Cases) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992 (regulation 7(2), (4) and (15)); and\n(e) they amend the Social Security (Adjudication) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 by reducing from 12 months to 6 months the time limit for submitting applications for review of decisions relating to child benefit (regulation 8).\nRegulations 10 and 11 are transitional provisions relating respectively to the treatment of applications for review of decisions relating to child benefit made on or before 7th October 1997 and of maintenance assessments for child support which are in force on 7th April 1997.\nThese Regulations also replace the premium which is applicable in relation to lone parents in receipt of—\n(a) income support (regulation 5(3) and (4)); and\n(b) jobseeker’s allowance (regulation 9(3) and (4)),\nwith an additional element to the family premium. They also provide for consequential amendments both elsewhere in the relevant regulations relating to those benefits and in the Child Support (Maintenance Assessments and Special Cases) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992 (regulations 5(5) and (6), 7(3) and (5) to (14) and 9(5) and (6)) in connection with this change.\nThese Regulations also make amendments to the Child Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1979 to provide that—\n(a) unmarried partners shall not be entitled to child benefit in any week where they are exempt from United Kingdom income tax (regulation 3(2)); and\n(b) a person shall not be entitled to child benefit in respect of a child who, in any week, is living with another person as his spouse (regulation 3(3)).\nTransitional protection is also provided for in both cases (regulation 3(4) and (5)).\nRegulation 12 makes consequential revocations.\nThese Regulations correspond to provision contained in regulations made by the Secretary of State for Social Security in relation to Great Britain and accordingly, by virtue of section 149(3) of, and paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to, the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8), are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/1996/288/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T02:35:07.152595+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}