The Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Made: 8th March 1996

Coming into operation: 1st April 1996

The Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by sections 122(1)(d), 129(4), 131(1) and 132(3) and (4)(b) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992[^f00001] and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, with the consent of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland[^f00002] in so far as its consent is required, and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals to make these Regulations should not be referred to it[^f00003], hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1

• (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 and shall come into operation on 1st April 1996.

• (2) In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987[^f00004].

• (3) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954[^f00005] shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Amendment of regulation 18 of the principal Regulations

2

In regulation 18(1) of the principal Regulations (patients)—

• (a) in sub-paragraphs (a), (b) and (d)(ii) for “£14·70” there shall be substituted “£15·30”;

• (b) in sub-paragraphs (c)(i) and (d)(i) for “£11·75” there shall be substituted “£12·25”;

• (c) in sub-paragraph (c)(ii) for “£29·40” there shall be substituted “£30·60”.

Amendment of regulation 63 of the principal Regulations

3

In regulation 63 of the principal Regulations (non-dependant deductions)—

• (a) in paragraph (1)—

• (i) in sub-paragraph (a)(ii) for “£2·30” there shall be substituted “£2·60”;

• (ii) in sub-paragraph (b)(ii) for “£1·15” there shall be substituted “£1·30”;

• (b) in paragraph 2(d) for “£111·00” there shall be substituted “£114·00”.

Amendment of Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations

4

In Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations (applicable amounts)—

• (a) for Part I (personal allowances) there shall be substituted the Part set out in Schedule 1 to these Regulations;

• (b) in Part II (family premium) in paragraph 3 for “£10·25” there shall be substituted “£10·55”;

• (c) for Part IV (amounts of premiums specified in Part III) there shall be substituted the Part set out in Schedule 2 to these Regulations.

Amendment of Schedule 4 to the principal Regulations

5

In Schedule 4 to the principal Regulations (sums to be disregarded in the calculation of income other than earnings) in paragraph 22(b) for “£9·20” there shall be substituted “£9·25”.

Revocations

6

Regulations 3(a) and 5 of the Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994[^f00006] and regulations 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995[^f00007] are hereby revoked.

SCHEDULE 1 — Substitution of Part I of Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations

SCHEDULE 2 — Substitution of Part IV of Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland on

W. G. Purdy — Assistant Secretary — 8th March 1996.

The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland hereby consents to the foregoing Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland on

R. E. Aiken — Assistant Secretary — 8th March 1996.

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations further amend the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987.

Regulations 2 and 4 state the amount of the sums relevant to the applicable amount for the purposes of housing benefit. Regulation 4(a) and Schedule 1 set out the personal allowances and regulation 4(c) and Schedule 2 set out the premiums.

Regulation 3(a) increases the deductions to be made in respect of non-dependants when assessing the maximum housing benefit and regulation 3(b) increases the amount of normal weekly gross income which a non-dependant, in remunerative work, may have for the lower rate of non-dependent deduction to apply in rate rebate cases.

Regulation 5 increases the sum to be disregarded, in the calculation of income other than earnings, in respect of a payment made to the claimant in certain circumstances.

Regulation 6 contains consequential revocations.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1992 c. 7

[^f00002]: See section 171(6A) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 inserted by Article 3(3) of the Social Security (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/1579 (N.I. 8))

[^f00003]: See section 150(1)(b) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8)

[^f00004]: S.R. 1987 No. 461; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1989 Nos. 125 and 260, S.R. 1990 Nos. 136 and 345, S.R. 1992 Nos. 85, 404 and 549, S.R. 1993 Nos. 145, 195 and 233, S.R. 1994 Nos. 81 and 88, S.R. 1995 No. 84 and S.R. 1996 No. 73

[^f00005]: 1954 c. 33 (N.I.)

[^f00006]: S.R. 1994 No. 81

[^f00007]: S.R. 1995 No. 84