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The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

S.R. 2001/134 · Made 26 March 2001 · Extends to Northern Ireland

Up to date with all changes known to legislation.gov.uk, revised to 25 January 2010.

HOUSING; RATES; SOCIAL SECURITY

Made 26th March 2001

Coming into operation in accordance with regulation 1

The Department for Social Development, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by sections 122(1)(a) and (d), 123(1)(e), 131(1), 132(3) and (4)(a) and (b), 134(1)(a) and 171(1), (3) and (4) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992f1 and now vested in itf2, and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, with the consent of the Department of Finance and Personnelf3 in so far as regulation 2 is concerned, and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of that regulation should not be referred to itf4, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Annotations to the whole text

Footnotes

f1

1992 c. 7; section 123(1)(e) was inserted by paragraph 13(5) of Schedule 2 to the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/2705 (N.I. 15)) and section 134(1)(a) was substituted by Article 66(1) of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/1506 (N.I. 10))

f2

See Article 8(b) of, and Part II of Schedule 6 to, the Departments (Transfer and Assignment of Functions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999 (S.R. 1999 No. 481)

f3

See section 171(6A) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 as inserted by Article 3(3) of the Social Security (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/1579 (N.I. 8)); consent function transferred from the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland to the Department of Finance and Personnel; see Article 6(b) of, and Part II of Schedule 4 to, the Departments (Transfer and Assignment of Functions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999

f4

See section 150(1)(b) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (1992 c. 8)

Contents

  1. 1Citation, commencement and interpretation
  2. 2Amendment of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations Repealed
  3. 3Amendment of the Income Support Regulations
  4. 4Amendment of the Social Fund (Maternity and Funeral Expenses) (General) Regulations
  5. 5Amendment of the Social Security (Enhanced Disability Premium Amendment) Regulations
  6. Signature
  7. Explanatory note

1Citation, commencement and interpretationI1

(1)

These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 and shall come into operation—

(a)

for the purposes of this regulation and, subject to paragraph (2), regulation 5, on 1st April 2001;

(b)

for the purposes of regulation 2—

(i)

in a case where rent is or rates are payable at intervals of a whole number of weeks, on 2nd April 2001;

(ii)

in any other case, on 1st April 2001;

(c)

for all other purposes, subject to paragraph (3), on 9th April 2001.

(2)

Regulation 5 shall come into operation immediately before the coming into operation of regulation 1 of the Social Security (Enhanced Disability Premium Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000f1.

(3)

Regulation 3 shall, in relation to any particular claimant for income support, have effect from the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that claimant on or after 9th April 2001 and in this paragraph “benefit week”f2 and “claimant” shall have the same meaning as in regulation 2(1) of the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987f3.

(4)

The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954f4 shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

2Amendment of the Housing Benefit (General) RegulationsF1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3Amendment of the Income Support RegulationsI1I2

(1)

The Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (4).

(2)

In regulation 42(3)(b)f1 (notional income), for “9 or 10” there shall be substituted “8 or 9” and for “1987” there shall be substituted “1988”.

F1(3)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(4)

In Schedule 9 (sums to be disregarded in the calculation of income other than earnings) at the end of paragraph 68f2 there shall be added “or any payment of an employment credit made to that person as a participant in the New Deal 50 Plus Employment Credit Scheme pursuant to arrangements made under section 1(1A) of the Employment and Training Act (Northern Ireland) 1950f3”.

4Amendment of the Social Fund (Maternity and Funeral Expenses) (General) RegulationsI1

For regulation 8(3)(b) of the Social Fund (Maternity and Funeral Expenses) (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987f1(effect of capital) there shall be substituted the following sub-paragraph—

“(b)

in the case of a claim for a Sure Start Maternity Grant or a funeral payment which is made within 12 months of the death of the spouse of the claimant, any lump sum payable to that claimant as a widow or as a widower by virtue of section 36 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act (Northern Ireland) 1992f2 (bereavement payments) shall be disregarded;”.

5Amendment of the Social Security (Enhanced Disability Premium Amendment) RegulationsI1

In regulation 1 of the Social Security (Enhanced Disability Premium Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000f1 (citation, commencement and interpretation)—

(a)

in paragraph (1)(c), after “purposes” there shall be inserted “but subject to paragraphs (2) and (3)”;

(b)

after paragraph (1) there shall be inserted the following paragraphs—

“(2)

Regulation 2 shall, in relation to any particular claimant for income support, have effect from the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that claimant on or after 9th April 2001 and in this paragraph, “benefit week” and “claimant” shall have the same meanings as in regulation 2(1) of the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987.

(3)

Regulation 4 shall, in relation to any particular claimant for a jobseeker’s allowance, have effect from the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that claimant on or after 9th April 2001 and in this paragraph, “benefit week” shall have the same meaning as in regulation 1(2) of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996f2.”;

(c)

existing paragraph “(2)” shall be renumbered “(4)”.

Signature

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 26th March 2001.

L.S.

John O'Neill

Senior Officer of the

Department for Social Development

The Department of Finance and Personnel hereby consents to regulation 2 of the foregoing Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 27th March 2001.

L.S.

Brian Delaney

Senior Officer of the

Department of Finance and Personnel

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations further amend the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 and the Social Fund (Maternity and Funeral Expenses) (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987.

In particular, they—

  • update the legislative references in the definition of “attendance allowance” applying in housing benefit (regulation 2(2));

  • amend the references in the rules relating to the treatment of childcare charges in housing benefit (regulation 2(3));

  • allow a training grant paid under the New Deal 50 Plus Employment Credit Scheme to be disregarded as capital in housing benefit (regulation 2(4));

  • amend the references relating to the notional income rule in income support (regulation 3(2));

  • correct an error relating to the period in respect of which certain groups may have access to urgent case payments in income support (regulation 3(3));

  • allow employment credits to be disregarded, if paid to a lone parent whilst she is entitled to income support during a run-on period (regulation 3(4));

  • allow a bereavement payment to be disregarded for the purpose of ascertaining entitlement to Sure Start Maternity Grants and funeral payments (regulation 4);

  • change the commencement date of the Social Security (Enhanced Disability Premium Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 in relation to Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance to take into account benefit weeks (regulation 5).

In so far as these Regulations are required, for the purposes of regulation 2, to be referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee under section 149(2) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, (“the 1992 Act”), after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee, they have not been so referred by virtue of section 150(1)(b) of that Act. Otherwise they make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding 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 1992 Act, are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.

These Regulations do not impose any charge on business.