{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-northern-ireland-order-1998/article-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-northern-ireland-order-1998/article-4.json",
  "legislation": "nisi/1998/1506",
  "legislation_title": "The Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/social-security-northern-ireland-order-1998",
  "path": "article/4",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "Use of computers",
  "text": "(1) Any decision, determination or assessment falling to be made or certificate falling to be issued by the Department under any relevant statutory provision may be made or issued not only by an officer of the Department acting under its authority but also—\n(a) by a computer for whose operation such an officer is responsible; and\n(b) in the case of a decision, determination or assessment that may be made or a certificate that may be issued by a person providing services to the Department, by a computer for whose operation such a person is responsible.\n(2) In this Article “relevant statutory provision” means any statutory provision contained in—\n(a) Chapter II of this Part;\n(b) the Contributions and Benefits Act;\n(c) the Administration Act;\n(d) the Child Support Order;\n(e) the 1994 NI 12. Social Security (Incapacity for Work) (Northern Ireland) Order 1994;\n(f) the 1995 NI 13. Child Support (Northern Ireland) Order 1995;\n(g) the Jobseekers Order;. . .\n(h) the Recovery of Benefits Order; . . .\n(i) the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002; ...\n(j) Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007. or\n(k) Part 2 of the Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015. ...\n(l) Part 5 of that Order.or\n(m) Part 1 of the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015. or\n(n) section29 of the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015; or\n(o) Articles 13 to 16 of the Welfare Reform and Work (Northern Ireland) Order 2016.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "2002 c. 14 (NI)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "2002 c. 14 (NI)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Word in art. 4(2)(h) repealed (27.10.2008) by Welfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007 (c. 2), ss. 58, 60(1), Sch. 8; S.R. 2008/276, art. 2(2)(d), Sch. Pt. 2"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Art. 4(2)(j) and preceding word added (27.7.2008) by Welfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007 (c. 2), ss. 28(1), 60(1), Sch. 3 para. 10(2); S.R. 2008/276, art. 2(2)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Word in art. 4(2)(i) repealed (2.5.2016 for specified purposes, 27.9.2017 in so far as not already in operation) by The Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/2006), art. 2(2), Sch. 2 para. 35(a); S.R. 2016/215, art. 2(2)(c)(v)(ff); S.R. 2017/190, art. 4(1)(2)(g)(iii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Art. 4(2)(k) and word inserted (2.5.2016 for specified purposes, 27.9.2017 in so far as not already in operation) by The Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/2006), art. 2(2), Sch. 2 para. 35(b); S.R. 2016/215, art. 2(2)(c)(v)(ff); S.R. 2017/190, art. 4(1)(2)(g)(iii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Word in art. 4(2) omitted (4.9.2017) by virtue of The Welfare Reform and Work (Northern Ireland) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/999), arts. 2(1), 15(4)(a) (with art. 16); S.R. 2017/166, art. 2(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Art. 4(2)(l) and word inserted (20.6.2016) by The Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/2006), art. 2(2), Sch. 9 para. 36; S.R. 2016/215, art. 3(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "Art. 4(2)(m) and word inserted (6.4.2016 unless brought into operation earlier by an order under s. 53(1) of the amending Act) by Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 5), s. 53(3), Sch. 12 para. 28"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Art. 4(2)(n) and word inserted (6.4.2017) by Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 (c. 5), s. 53(1), Sch. 16 para. 36; S.R. 2017/44, art. 2(2) (with arts. 3, 4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F11",
      "text": "Art. 4(2)(o) and preceding word inserted (4.9.2017) by The Welfare Reform and Work (Northern Ireland) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/999), arts. 2(1), 15(4)(b) (with art. 16); S.R. 2017/166, art. 2(c)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1998/1506/article/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T04:40:59.445846+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}