Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 (S.I. 1987/1967), the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/207), the State Pension Credit Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/1792), the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/213), the Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/214), the Council Tax Benefit Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/215) and the Council Tax Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/216) (“the income-related benefit regulations”) in consequence of the accession to the European Union on 1st January 2007 of Bulgaria and Romania.

The income-related benefit regulations provide that a claimant is ineligible for benefit where he or she is a “person from abroad” or, in the case of state pension credit, a “person not in Great Britain”. A person is a person from abroad or a person not in Great Britain if he or she is not habitually resident in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or the Republic of Ireland. No person shall be treated as habitually resident without a relevant right to reside in the place where he or she is habitually resident. However, certain categories of persons are exempt from this habitual residence test.

These Regulations insert a new category of persons who are exempt from the habitual residence test, namely nationals of Bulgaria and Romania who are subject to the worker authorisation scheme established by the Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/3317) and who are treated as workers pursuant to those Regulations. This adds to the exemption category, inserted on 1st May 2004, for nationals of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia or the Slovak Republic who are subject to the worker registration scheme and who are treated as workers pursuant to the Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/1219).

A full regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on the costs of business, charities or voluntary bodies.