{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/health-and-personal-social-services-northern-ireland-order-1972/article-15",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/health-and-personal-social-services-northern-ireland-order-1972/article-15.json",
  "legislation": "nisi/1972/1265",
  "legislation_title": "Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/health-and-personal-social-services-northern-ireland-order-1972",
  "path": "article/15",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "15",
  "heading": "General social welfare",
  "text": "(A1) The functions conferred by this Article are to be exercised as part of the system of social care designed to secure improvement in the social well-being of people in Northern Ireland mentioned in section 2(1)(b) of the 2009 Act.\n(1) An authorised HSC trust shall make available advice, guidance and assistance, to such extent as it considers necessary, and for that purpose shall make such arrangements and provide or secure the provision of such facilities (including the provision or arranging for the provision of residential or other accommodation, home help and laundry facilities) as it considers suitable and adequate.\n(1A) Arrangements under paragraph (1) may include arrangements for the provision by any other body or person of any of the social care on such terms and conditions as may be agreed between the trust and that other body or person.\n(1B) An authorised HSC trust may assist any body or person carrying out any arrangements under paragraph (1) by—\n(a) permitting that body or person to use premises belonging to the trust ;\n(b) making available vehicles, equipment, goods or materials; and\n(c) making available the services of any staff who are employed in connection with the premises or other things which the trust permits the body or person to use,\non such terms and conditions as may be agreed between the trust and that body or person.\n(2) Assistance under paragraph (1) may be given to, or in respect of, a person in need requiring assistance in kind or, in exceptional circumstances constituting an emergency, in cash; so however that before giving assistance to, or in respect of, a person in cash the trust shall have regard to his eligibility for receiving assistance from any other statutory body, and, if he is so eligible, to the availability to him of that assistance in his time of need.\n(3) Where under paragraph (1) a trust makes arrangements or provides or secures the provision of facilities for the engagement of persons in need (whether under a contract of service or otherwise) in suitable work, the trust may assist such persons in disposing of the produce of their work.\n(4) . . . A trust may recover in respect of any assistance, help or facilities under this Article such charges (if any) as the trust considers appropriate.\n(5) In so far as it relates to the provision of accommodation, this Article is subject to Articles 36,. . . and 99.\n(6) Assistance may not be provided under paragraph (1) in respect of any person to whom section 115 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 applies if his need for assistance has arisen solely—\n(a) because he is destitute, or\n(b) because of the physical effects, or anticipated physical effects, of his being destitute.\n(7) Subsections (3) to (8) of section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and paragraph 2 of Schedule 8 to that Act, apply for the purposes of paragraph (6) as they apply for the purposes of that section, but for references to the Secretary of State in subsections (5) and (7) of that section and in paragraph 2 of that Schedule substitute references to an HSC trust .",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Art. 15(A1) inserted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(2); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "1978 NI 26; 1978 c.53"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(1) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(3); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "1992 NI 20"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words in Order substituted (1.4.2009) by Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 (c. 1), s. 34(3), Sch. 6 para. 1(1)(a); S.R. 2009/114, art. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(1A) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(4); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(1B) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(5)(a); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(1B)(a) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(5)(b); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(1B)(c) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(5)(b); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(1B) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(5)(b); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(2) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6; S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F12",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(3) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(7)(a); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F13",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(3) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(7)(b); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F14",
      "text": "1991 NI 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F15",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(4) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(8)(a); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F16",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(4) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(8)(b); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F17",
      "text": "2002 c. 5 (NI)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F18",
      "text": "1999 c.33"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F19",
      "text": "prosp. subst. by 2002 c. 41"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F20",
      "text": "Words in art. 15(7) substituted (1.4.2022) by Health and Social Care Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (c. 3), s. 8(1)(b), Sch. 1 para. 6(9); S.R. 2022/102, art. 2(b)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1972/1265/article/15",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T04:54:41.031010+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."
}