The Social Security (Electronic Communications) (Miscellaneous Benefits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2006

Made: 2nd May 2006

Coming into operation: 26th May 2006

In accordance with section 1(3) of that Act it considers that the authorisation of the use of electronic communications by this Order for any purpose is such that the extent (if any) to which records of things done for that purpose will be available will be no less satisfactory in cases where use is made of electronic communications than in other cases.

Citation and commencement

1

This Order may be cited as the Social Security (Electronic Communications) (Miscellaneous Benefits) Order (Northern Ireland) 2006 and shall come into operation on 26th May 2006.

Amendment of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations

2

• (1) The Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987[^f00002] shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (4).

• (2) In regulation 2(1) (interpretation) after the definition of “claim for benefit” there shall be inserted the following definition—

• “electronic communication” has the same meaning as in section 4(1) of the Electronic Communications Act (Northern Ireland) 2001;

• (3) After regulation 4B[^f00003] (forwarding claims and information) there shall be inserted the following regulation—

(4ZC) (1) Any claim for benefit in relation to which this regulation applies, and any certificate, notice, information or evidence given in connection with that claim, may be made or given by means of an electronic communication in accordance with the provisions set out in Schedule 8D. (2) This regulation applies to attendance allowance, disability living allowance, graduated retirement benefit, retirement pension and shared additional pension.

• (4) After Schedule 8C[^f00004] (deductions from benefit in respect of child support maintenance and payment to persons with care) there shall be inserted as Schedule 8D the Schedule set out in the Schedule to this Order.

SCHEDULE

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 2nd May 2006.

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

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 (“the Claims and Payments Regulations”) to make provision for claims for attendance allowance, disability living allowance, graduated retirement benefit, retirement pension and shared additional pension to be made electronically.

Article 2 inserts regulation 4ZA into the Claims and Payments Regulations to provide for the use of electronic communication to make a claim for those benefits and to provide any certificate, notice, information or evidence connected with such a claim, subject to certain conditions being satisfied. It also inserts Schedule 8D into the Claims and Payments Regulations which sets out those conditions.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2000 c. 9 (N.I.)

[^f00002]: S.R. 1987 No. 465; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 2001 Nos. 22 and 175

[^f00003]: Regulation 4B was inserted by regulation 3 of S.R. 2001 No. 175

[^f00004]: Schedule 8C was inserted by regulation 2(3) of S.R. 2001 No. 22