Explanatory note

These Regulations make consequential amendments to the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Regulations 1988 (S.I. 1988/1724) and the Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses (General) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3061) to take account of changes made by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 (c. 7) to child tax credit legislation set out in the Tax Credits Act 2002 (c. 21).

Regulation 2 substitutes regulation 1A(3)(d) of the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Regulations 1988 to provide that where a person is in receipt of a specified benefit and has been awarded child tax credit, that person will only qualify for a cold weather payment by virtue of that child tax credit where the child tax credit contains a disability element.

Regulation 3 amends the Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses (General) Regulations 2005 to ensure that, provided other specified conditions are also met, a claimant will be entitled to a Sure Start Maternity Grant or a funeral payment where the claimant (or the claimant’s partner) has been awarded child tax credit which includes an individual element or a disability element.

A full impact assessment has not been published for this instrument as no impact on the private sector or civil society organisations is foreseen.