Article 1 Citation, commencement and interpretation

This Order, which may be cited as the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Subsidy) Order 1997, shall come into force on the 21st day after the day on which it is laid before Parliament.

In this Order, unless the context otherwise requires—

• “the Act” means the Social Security Administration Act 1992;

• “new authority” means

  1. (i)

     in England, a successor authority as defined in paragraph (1) of regulation 2 of the Local Government Changes for England (Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit) Regulations 1995^f1 whose reorganisation date, as defined in that paragraph, was 1st April 1996;

  2. (ii)

     in Wales, an authority constituted under sections 20 and 21 of the Local Government Act 1972^f2, and

  3. (iii)

     in Scotland, an authority constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994^f3;

• “period overrun” has the meaning assigned to it by paragraph 1 of Schedule 4;

• “relevant year” means the year ending 31st March 1997;

• “the 1991 Order” means the Housing Benefit and Community Charge Benefit (Subsidy) Order 1991^f4;

• “the 1992 Order” means the Housing Benefit and Community Charge Benefit (Subsidy) Order 1992^f5;

• “the 1993 Order” means the Housing Benefit and Community Charge Benefit (Subsidy) (No.2) Order 1993^f6;

• “the 1994 Order” means the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Subsidy) Order 1994^f7;

• “the 1995 Order” means the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Subsidy) Order 1995^f8, and

• “the 1996 Order” means the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Subsidy) Order 1996^f9.

In this Order, a reference to a numbered article or Schedule is to the article in, or Schedule to, this Order bearing that number and, unless the context otherwise requires, a reference in an article or a Schedule to a numbered paragraph or Part is to the paragraph or Part, as the case may be, bearing that number in that article or that Schedule and a reference in a paragraph to a lettered or numbered sub-paragraph is to the sub-paragraph in that paragraph bearing that letter or number.