The Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment No. 7) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations further amend the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 so as to—

(a) introduce a requirement that direct payments may be made to landlords only where the landlord is a fit and proper person to be the recipient of such payments or the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (“the Executive”) is nonetheless satisfied that it is in the claimant’s interest to do so, (regulations 2, 3 and 4);

(b) require the Executive to inform landlords to whom direct payments of housing benefit are made of their duty to report changes of circumstances which might affect the claimant’s entitlement to housing benefit (regulation 6).

• The Regulations also introduce provisions enabling the Executive or the Department of the Environment to suspend housing benefit where a question arises as to whether the conditions of entitlement are or were satisfied and further enable them to require the claimant to provide them with information or evidence in connection with that question. A failure to provide the information or evidence within a period of 4 weeks is a ground for review of the award (regulation 5).