Explanatory note

These Regulations further amend the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987. Regulation 4 creates a new maximum rent in the case of certain single claimants who are under 25 (“young individuals”), in respect of whom the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (“the Executive”) has determined a single room rent. Regulation 10(1) provides that these changes shall not apply to those young individuals to whom the savings provision in the Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (S.R. 1996 No. 111) (providing exemption from the changes introduced by those Regulations) apply and regulation 10(2) provides that, when young individuals do not enjoy that savings protection, the changes introduced by regulations 3, 4 and 9 shall not apply to those in receipt of benefit on 6th October 1996 until they move home or their current benefit period comes to an end. Regulation 8 provides the manner in which a single room rent is to be determined.

Regulations 5 and 6 create a new rule for the period within which payment of housing benefit by way of rent allowance is made. It will now be paid at the end of the period to which it relates. However, in cases where direct payments are being made to a landlord payment is to be made at intervals of 4 weeks and at the end of that period, subject to certain exceptions. Regulation 7 enables the Executive to make first payments of benefit to the claimant by way of an instrument of payment in favour of the landlord. Regulation 11 provides that regulations 5 and 6 will not affect anyone on housing benefit on 6th October 1996 (or the parner of a deceased recipient) as long as he continues to be entitled to it and to occupy the same dwelling as his home.