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STATUTORY RULES OF NORTHERN IRELAND


2005 No. 185

HOUSING; RATES

The Housing Benefit (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

  Made 31st March 2005 
  Coming into operation in accordance with regulation 1(1)

The Department for Social Development, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 122(1)(d), 131(1), 132(3) and (4)(b), 132A(3), 133(2)(h) and 171(1), (3) and (4) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992[1], and now vested in it[2], and paragraphs 4(5) and 20(1)(b) of Schedule 7 to the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2000[3], and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, with the consent of the Department of Finance and Personnel[4], and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it[5], hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation
     1.  - (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Housing Benefit (Miscellaneous Amendments No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 and shall come into operation on -

    (2) In these Regulations -

    (3) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954[8] shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

Amendment of the Housing Benefit Regulations
     2.  - (1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Housing Benefit Regulations shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (7).

    (2) The amendments made by paragraphs (4) and (7) are to the Housing Benefit Regulations as modified in their application to persons to whom regulation 2 of the State Pension Credit Regulations applies.

    (3) In regulation 5 (circumstances in which a person is or is not to be treated as occupying a dwelling as his home) -

    (4) In regulation 36 (notional income) -

    (5) Until 6th April 2005 the references in regulation 36(1B) (as inserted by paragraph (4)) to section 55(3) of the Contributions and Benefits Act, section 55C(3) of that Act and section 35(4) and (4A) of the National Insurance Act (Northern Ireland) 1966 shall have effect as if they were references to section 55(2) to the Contributions and Benefits Act, section 55C(1) of that Act and section 35(4) and (7) of the National Insurance Act (Northern Ireland) 1966 respectively.

    (6) In Schedule 2 (applicable amounts), paragraph 13A(2)(a)[21] shall be omitted.

    (7) In Schedule 4A (amounts to be disregarded in the calculation of income other than earnings), after paragraph 24[22] there shall be added the following paragraph -



Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on


31st March 2005.

L.S.


John O'Neill
A senior officer of the Department for Social Development


The Department of Finance and Personnel hereby consents to the foregoing Regulations.



Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on


31st March 2005.

L.S.


Ciaran Doran
A senior officer of the Department of Finance and Personnel


EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)


These Regulations amend the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 (S.R. 1987 No. 461) ("the Housing Benefit Regulations").

The Housing Benefit Regulations were modified by the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 for persons who attained the qualifying age for state pension credit (except where regulation 2(2) of those Regulations applies). These Regulations apply to the Housing Benefit Regulations as so modified and as not so modified, as set out in regulation 2(1) and (2).

Regulation 2(3) amends regulation 5 of the Housing Benefit Regulations by replacing paragraph (8A) with a new provision which deals with the treatment of prisoners on temporary release and by making other minor, technical amendments.

Regulation 2(4) amends regulation 36 of the Housing Benefit Regulations (which applies to persons who attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) to provide that certain specified categories of retirement pension income will not be treated as notional income under paragraph 36(1)(a).

Regulation 2(5) makes transitional provision in respect of the provisions amended by regulation 2(4).

Regulation 2(6) amends Schedule 2 to the Housing Benefit Regulations to remove a provision excluding the award of an Enhanced Disability Premium in respect of a child whose capital exceeds a specified amount.

Regulation 2(7) amends Schedule 4A to the Housing Benefit Regulations (which applies to persons who attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) to provide for certain income from capital to be disregarded when calculating a claimant's income.

These Regulations do not impose any charge on business.


Notes:

[1] 1992 c. 7; section 132A was inserted by paragraph 3 of Schedule 2 to the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 (c.14) and section 171(1) was amended by paragraph 5 of Schedule 4 to the Tax Credits Act 2002 (c. 21)back

[2] See Article 8(b) of S.R. 1999 No. 481back

[3] 2000 c. 4 (N.I.)back

[4] See section 171(6A) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 as inserted by Article 3(3) of the Social Security (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/1579 (N.I. 8)); see also Article 6(b) of S.R. 1999 No. 481back

[5] See section 150(1)(b) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8)back

[6] S.R. 1987 No. 461; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1990 No. 297, S.R. 1993 No. 145, S.R. 1995 Nos. 89 and 101, S.R. 1998 No. 81 and S.R. 2000 No. 367back

[7] S.R. 2003 No. 197; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 2003 No. 418back

[8] 1954 c. 33 (N.I.)back

[9] Paragraph (7A) was inserted by regulation 3(f) of S.R. 1993 No. 145back

[10] Paragraph (5)(a) was amended by regulation 3(a)(i) and (ii) of S.R. 1993 No. 145back

[11] Paragraph (8B) was inserted by regulation 2(2)(c) of S.R. 1995 No. 101back

[12] Paragraph (8A) was inserted by regulation 5 of S.R. 1995 No. 89 and amended by regulation 5(1) and (2)(a)(i) of S.R. 1998 No. 81back

[13] S.I. 1986/595 (N.I. 4)back

[14] 1953 c. 18 (N.I.)back

[15] Regulation 48A(1) was inserted by regulation 3(6) of S.R. 1990 No. 297back

[16] Section 55A was inserted by paragraph 3 of Schedule 6 to the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/3147 (N.I. 11))back

[17] 1966 c. 6; sections 35 and 36 continue in force by virtue of Schedules 1 and 2 to the Social Security (Graduated Retirement Benefit) (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1978 (S.R. 1978 No. 105) and were amended by regulation 2(2) and (3) respectively of S.R. 2005 No. 121back

[18] Section 55 was substituted by Article 273(1) of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005 No. 255 (N.I. 1))back

[19] Section 55C was substituted by Article 273(2) of the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 2005back

[20] Sub-section (4A) was inserted by regulation 2(2)(a) of S.R. 2005 No. 121back

[21] Paragraph 13A(2)(a) was inserted by regulation 3(b)(ii) of S.R. 2000 No. 367back

[22] Paragraph 24 was added by regulation 2(14)(b)(iii) of S.R. 2003 No. 418back



ISBN 0 337 95942 0


 © Crown copyright 2005

Prepared 12 April 2005


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