The Social Fund Cold Weather Payments (General) Amendment Regulations 2014

Made: 29th September 2014

Laid before Parliament: 7th October 2014

Coming into force: 1st November 2014

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 2014.

• (2) They come into force on 1st November 2014.

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

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

SCHEDULE 1 — Schedule to be substituted for Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations

SCHEDULE 2 — Schedule to be substituted for Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations

Signed

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

Steve Webb — Minister of State — Department for Work and Pensions — 29th September 2014

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

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

Schedule 1 to the principal 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 principal Regulations. The new Schedule 1 transfers the following postcodes between weather stations: BA1-3, BA11, BA13-15, BL0-9, CT1-21, GL7-9, M24, M26, ME9-13, ML1-3, NE22, NE24, NE61-70, OL1-12, OL15-16, RG17, SK15, SN1-6, SN8-16, SN25-26, TN23-26, TN28-30.

Regulation 2(2) substitutes the Schedule set out in Schedule 2 to these Regulations for the existing Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations. The new Schedule 2 makes numerous updates to the lists of primary and specified alternative stations.

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 - Friday, 8am - 4pm) or 08457 111 222 (Monday - Friday, 4pm - 6pm and Saturday, 8am - 1pm)) 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 (c.2).

[^f00002]: See sections 172(1) and 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. 2013/2538.

[^f00005]: Schedule 2 was last substituted by S.I. 2013/2538.