The Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Amendment (No.2) Regulations 2013

Made: 2nd October 2013

Laid before Parliament: 9th October 2013

Coming into force: 1st November 2013

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 (No.2) Regulations 2013.

• (2) They come into force on 1st November 2013.

• (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 — 2nd October 2013

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 period 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 1 transfers some postcodes between weather stations. This affects 92 weather stations (listed in Schedule 1).

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 2 removes Church Fenton from column (2) and adds Bramham as the alternative Meteorological Office Station for Linton on Ouse.

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 (Monday to Friday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.)) 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 (5). Relevant amendments to section 175(4) were made by section 2 of and Schedule 3, paragraph 29(1) and (4) to the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc) Act 1999.

[^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 by S.I. 2012/2280 and amended by S.I. 2012/2379.

[^f00005]: Schedule 2 was last substituted by S.I. 2012/2280.