The Social Security (Claims and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025

Made: 8th July 2025

Coming into operation: 1st August 2025

The Department for Communities makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 5(1)(a) and (j), 165(1), (4), (5), (5A) and (6) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992[^f00001] and now vested in it[^f00002].

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1

• (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Claims and Payments) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 and shall come into operation on 1 August 2025.

Amendment of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations

2

• (1) The Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987[^f00003] shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (5).

• (2) For regulation 4(11)[^f00004] (making a claim for benefit) substitute—

(11) A claim for the following benefits may be made by telephone call to a telephone number specified by the Department for the purpose of the benefit for which the claim is made, unless the Department directs, in any particular case, that the claim must be made in writing— (a) a bereavement support payment; (b) graduated retirement benefit; (c) a retirement pension; (d) a shared additional pension; (e) a social fund payment for funeral expenses or winter fuel payment; (f) a state pension under Part 1 of the 2015 Act; (g) a widowed parent’s allowance.

• (3) In regulation 4(11) (making a claim for benefit) after sub-paragraph (b) insert—

(ba) industrial injuries benefit;

• (4) For regulation 4ZC(2)^f00005 substitute—

(2) This regulation applies to the following benefits— (a) attendance allowance; (b) bereavement support payment; (c) a budgeting loan; (d) carer’s allowance; (e) disability living allowance; (f) graduated retirement benefit; (g) a jobseeker’s allowance; (h) maternity allowance; (i) retirement pension; (j) a shared additional pension; (k) a social fund funeral payment; (l) a social fund payment in respect of maternity expenses; (m) state pension credit and; (n) state pension under Part 1 of the 2015 Act.

• (5) In paragraph 2 (conditions for the use of electronic communication) of Schedule 8D[^f00006]—

• (a) for sub-paragraph (1) substitute—

(1) The Department may use an electronic communication in connection with claims for, and awards of — (a) attendance allowance; (b) bereavement support payment; (c) a budgeting loan; (d) carer’s allowance; (e) disability living allowance; (f) an employment and support allowance; (g) graduated retirement benefit; (h) a jobseeker’s allowance; (i) a maternity allowance; (j) retirement pension; (k) shared additional pension; (l) a social fund funeral payment; (m) a social fund payment in respect of maternity expenses; (n) state pension credit; (o) state pension under Part 1 of the 2015 Act. (1A) The Department may use an electronic communication in connection with awards of— (a) incapacity benefit; (b) income support.

• (b) in sub-paragraph (2), for “sub-paragraph (1)” substitute “sub-paragraphs (1) and (1A)”.

Signed

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Communities on 8th July 2025

David Tarr — A senior officer of the Department for Communities

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations amend the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 (S.R. 1987 No. 465), (“the Claims and Payments Regulations”).

Regulations 2(2), 2(4) and 2(5) amend regulations 4(11), 4ZC and paragraph 2 of Schedule 8D to the Claims and Payment Regulations to list the specified benefits in alphabetical order. These are stylistic changes only and do not change the intention or purpose of the stated regulations.

Regulation 2(3) amends the Claims and Payment Regulations to allow a claim to industrial injuries benefit to be made via telephone.

These Regulations 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, the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for these Regulations as no significant impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1992 c. 8 (N.I.); Section 165(1) was amended by paragraph 49(2) of Schedule 3 to the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/671) and section 18(5) of the National Insurance Contributions Act 2014 (c. 7), paragraph (5A) was inserted by Article 108(1) of the Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015 No. 2006 (N.I. 1)) and paragraph (6) was amended by Schedule 7 to the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/1506 (N.I. 10))

[^f00002]: See Article 8(b) of S.R. 1999 No. 481 and section 1(7) of the Departments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (c. 5 (N.I.))

[^f00003]: S.R. 1987 No. 465

[^f00004]: Regulation 4(11) was added by regulation 2(2)(b) of S.R. 2005 No. 14 and amended by regulation 2(4)(b) of S.R. 2005 No. 299, regulation 2(4) of S.R. 2010 No. 337, regulation 3 of S.R. 2014 No. 105, Article 9(4)(c) of S.R. 2015 No. 411 and Article 10(4)(b) of S.R. 2017 No. 66

[^f00005]: Regulation 4ZC was inserted by Article 2(3) of S.R. 2006 No. 203 and amended by Article 2(2) of S.R. 2011 No. 298, Article 9(5) of S.R. 2015 No. 411, Article 10(5) of S.R. 2017 No. 66, Article 2(2) of S.R. 2020 No. 87, Article 2(2) of S.R. 2020 No. 147 and Article 2(3) of S.R. 2023 No. 96

[^f00006]: Schedule 8D was inserted by Article 2(4) of S.R. 2006 No. 203 and paragraph 2 was amended by Article 2(4) of S.R. 2011 No. 298, Article 2(3) of S.R. 2011 No. 431, Article 9(21) of S.R. 2015 No. 411, Article 10(14) of S.R. 2017 No. 66, regulation 2(5) of S.R. 2018 No. 45 and Article 2(3) of S.R. 2020 No. 87

Editorial notes

[^key-0392837fb113a438e950d5e373e87542]: Reg. 2 in operation at 1.8.2025, see reg. 1(1)

[^key-c557511e516a548da8517737a818bd3e]: Reg. 1 in operation at 1.8.2025, see reg. 1(1)