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The Social Security (Coronavirus) (Electronic Communications) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2020

S.R. 2020/87 · Made 26 May 2020

Original text. legislation.gov.uk does not revise statutory instruments, so later amendments are not shown here. Changes made to it are listed under each provision when known.

Social Security

Made 26 May 2020

Coming into operation 27 May 2020

The Department for Communities makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 1 and 2 of the Electronic Communications Act (Northern Ireland) Act 2001f1.

In accordance with section 1(3) of that Act it considers that the authorisation of the use of electronic communications by this Order for any purpose is such that the extent (if any) to which records of things done for that purpose will be available will be no less satisfactory in cases where use is made of electronic communications than in other cases.

Annotations to the whole text

Footnotes

f1

2001 c.9 (N.I.).

Contents

  1. 1Citation and commencement
  2. 2Amendment of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987
  3. Signature
  4. Explanatory note

1Citation and commencement

This Order may be cited as the Social Security (Coronavirus) (Electronic Communications) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2020 and comes into operation on 27th May 2020.

2Amendment of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987

(1)

The Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987f1 are amended as follows.

(2)

In regulation 4ZC(2)f2 (electronic claims for benefit) after “state pension under Part 1 of the 2015 Act” insert “, state pension credit”.

(3)

In paragraph 2 of Schedule 8Df3 (conditions for the use of electronic communication)—

(i)

after “state pension under Part 1 of the 2015 Act” insert “, state pension credit”;

(ii)

at the end omit “and state pension credit”.

Signature

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Communities on 26 May 2020

(L.S.)

Anne McCleary

A senior officer of the Department for Communities

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 (“the Claims and Payments Regulations”) to allow electronic claims to be made for State Pension Credit. Due to the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak in Northern Ireland, an online digital platform has been developed to provide claimants with an additional route for claiming and to ease the operational impacts of the pandemic.

Article 1 provides for citation and commencement.

Article 2 amends regulation 4ZC of, and paragraph 2 of Schedule 8D to, the Claims and Payments Regulations to permit the use of an electronic communication in connection with a claim for State Pension Credit. The use of an electronic communication by claimants must be in accordance with a direction of the Department.