The Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Amendment Regulations 2012

Made: 5th September 2012

Laid before Parliament: 11th September 2012

Coming into force: 1st November 2012

The Social Security Advisory Committee has agreed that proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it[^f00002].

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1

• (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Amendment Regulations 2012.

• (2) They come into force on 1st November 2012.

• (3) In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Regulations 1988[^f00003].

Amendment of the principal Regulations

2

• (1) For Schedule 1[^f00004] to the principal Regulations (identification of stations and postcode districts), substitute the Schedule set out in Schedule 1 to these Regulations.

• (2) For Schedule 2[^f00005] to the principal Regulations (specified alternative stations), substitute the Schedule set out in Schedule 2 to these Regulations.

SCHEDULE 1

The following Schedule is substituted for Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations—

SCHEDULE1

SCHEDULE 2

The following Schedule is substituted for Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations—

SCHEDULE2

Signed

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Steve Webb — Minister of State — Department for Work and Pensions — 5th September 2012

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations amend the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Regulations 1988 (SI 1988/1724) (“the 1988 Regulations”).

Schedule 1 to the 1988 Regulations designates the relevant primary weather station for specified postcodes. A designated weather station records or forecasts periods of cold weather which are then used to determine eligibility for cold weather payments for claimants living in postcodes assigned to that weather station. Schedule 2 to those Regulations specifies alternative stations used to provide this information where the primary station is unable to do so. Where there is no specified alternative station for the relevant primary station, the nearest primary station able to provide this information is used.

Regulation 2(1) substitutes the Schedule set out in Schedule 1 to these Regulations for the existing Schedule 1 to the 1988 Regulations. The new Schedule largely re-enacts the list contained in the former Schedule 1, but Woodford weather station is no longer designated as a primary weather station. One weather station (Rostherne) has been added to the list of primary weather stations. The new Schedule 1 also transfers postcodes between weather stations and assigns postcodes to the new stations.

Regulation 2(2) substitutes the Schedule set out in Schedule 2 to these Regulations for the existing Schedule 2 to the 1988 Regulations. The new Schedule adds to column (1) one Meteorological Office Station for which an alternative station is added to column (2) and removes two Meteorological Office Stations from column (1) and two Meteorological Office Stations from column (2).

The Postcode Atlas of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the postcode maps may be obtained from Harper Collins, United Kingdom, 2012, ISBN 0007443072. A person may establish the current postcode for his or her address by contacting the Royal Mail Postcode Enquiries Office (telephone 0906 302 1222 – Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. – or 08457 111 222) or through the Royal Mail website at www.royalmail.com.

A full impact assessment has not been published for this instrument as it has no impact on the private sector or civil society organisations.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1992 c.4; section 138(4) defines “prescribed”. Amendments not material to these Regulations have been made to section 175(1) and (4).

[^f00002]: See section 173(1)(b) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c.5).

[^f00003]: S.I. 1988/1724.

[^f00004]: Schedule 1 was last substituted bytype=start time=1352386799426 S.I. 2011/2423type=end time=1352386799426.

[^f00005]: Schedule 2 was last substituted by type=start time=1352386806926S.I. 2011/2423type=end time=1352386806926.