Explanatory note

These Regulations amend a number of different regulations relating to social security.

Regulations 2, 4 and 5 amend the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 and the Housing Benefit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 in so far as they relate to students and sums to be disregarded in the calculation of their entitlement to benefit. The amendments provide—

• for increases in the amounts of grant and loan income to be disregarded in respect of travel costs and the costs of books and equipment;

• that where student loans are paid on the basis of two or more instalments in a quarter and the student abandons or is dismissed from his course, the loan payment is taken into account for an appropriate period for the purposes of a benefit claim.

Regulation 3 amends regulation 32(6) of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 so as to give the Department discretion as to the circumstances in which it may require information or evidence to be notified in connection with the setting of a new assessed income period in state pension credit cases.

In so far as these Regulations are required, for the purposes of regulation 5, to be referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee under section 149(2) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, 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 Work and Pensions in relation to Great Britain and accordingly, by virtue of section 149(3) of, and paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to, that Act, are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.