Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 and the State Pension Credit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.

The Child Benefit Act 2005 and the Child Benefit (General) Regulations 2006 change the entitlement conditions to child benefit, in particular the conditions relating to the person’s age and the education or training they are doing. The changes made to social security legislation by these Regulations are consequential to those changes (in order to maintain the interrelationship between child benefit and social security benefits).

In so far as these Regulations are required, for the purposes of regulation 3, 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 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.

These Regulations do not impose any charge on business.