Housing Renovation etc. Grants (Reduction of Grant) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Notional income

30.—(1) A relevant person shall be treated as possessing income of which he has deprived himself for the purpose of increasing the amount of grant.

(2) Except in the case of—

(a) a discretionary trust;

(b) a trust derived from a payment made in consequence of a personal injury; or

(c) a personal pension scheme or retirement annuity contract where the relevant person is aged under 60,

any income which would have become available to the relevant person upon application being made, but which has not been acquired by him, shall be treated as possessed by the relevant person but only from the date on which it could be expected to have been acquired and an application been made.

(3) Where a person, aged not less than 60, is a member of, or a person deriving entitlement to a pension under, a personal pension scheme, or is a party to, or a person deriving entitlement to a pension under, a retirement annuity contract, and—

(a) in the case of a personal pension scheme, he fails to purchase an annuity with the funds available in that scheme where—

(i) he defers, in whole or in part, the payment of any income which would have been payable to him by his pension fund holder;

(ii) he fails to take any necessary action to secure that the whole of any income which would be payable to him by his pension fund holder upon his applying for it, is so paid; or

(iii) income withdrawal is not available to him under that scheme; or

(b) in the case of a retirement annuity contract, he fails to purchase an annuity with the funds available under that contract,

the amount of any income foregone shall be treated as possessed by him, but only from the date on which it could be expected to be acquired were an application for it to be made.

(4) The amount of any income foregone in a case to which either paragraph (3)(a)(i) or (ii) applies shall be the maximum amount of income which may be withdrawn from the fund.

(5) The amount of any income foregone in a case to which either paragraph (3)(a)(iii) or sub-paragraph (3)(b) applies shall be the income that the relevant person could have received without purchasing an annuity had the funds held under the relevant personal pension scheme or retirement annuity contract been held under a personal pension scheme where income withdrawal was available.

(6) Any payment of income, other than a payment of income made under the Macfarlane Trust, the Macfarlane (Special Payments) Trust, the Macfarlane (Special Payments) (No. 2) Trust, the Fund, the Independent Living (Extension) Fund, the Independent Living (1993) Fund or the Independent Living Fund, made—

(a) to a third party in respect of a relevant person being a single person or in respect of a member of the family (but not a member of the third party’s family) shall be treated as possessed by that single person or by that member to the extent that it is used for food, ordinary clothing or footwear, household fuel, eligible rates or rent to which regulation 9 or 10 of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987(1) refers, or both, of that single person or, as the case may be, of any member of that family;

(b) to a relevant person being a single person or a member of the family in respect of a third party (but not in respect of another member of that family) shall be treated as possessed by that single person or, as the case may be, that member of the family to the extent that it is kept or used by him or used by or on behalf of any member of the family.

(7) Where—

(a) a relevant person performs a service for another person; and

(b) that person makes no payment of earnings or pays less than that paid for a comparable employment in the area;

the relevant person shall be treated as possessing such earnings (if any) as is reasonable for that employment unless the relevant person satisfies the Executive that the means of that person are insufficient for him to pay or pay more for the service; but this paragraph shall not apply to a relevant person who is engaged by a charitable or voluntary organisation or is a volunteer if it is reasonable for him in any of those cases to provide his services free of charge.

(8) In the case of an application to which Article 64(3)(b) of the Order applies (renovation grants relating to 2 or more dwellings), there shall be treated as possessed by the relevant person 90 per cent of the amount of the aggregate of the rents of each of the dwellings to be provided, other than any in respect of which an owner-occupation certificate accompanies the application, which may reasonably be expected to be obtained either where—

(a) a protected or statutory tenancy, within the meaning of the Rent (Northern Ireland) Order 1978(2) subsists; or

(b) the dwelling is let on the open market.

(9) Where a relevant person is treated as possessing any income under any of paragraphs (1) to (5) and (6) and (8) the foregoing provisions of this Part shall apply for the purposes of determining the amount of that income as if a payment had actually been made and as if it were actual income which he does possess.

(10) Where a relevant person is treated as possessing any earnings under paragraph (7) the foregoing provisions of this Part shall apply for the purposes of determining the amount of those earnings as if a payment had actually been made and as if they were actual earnings which he does possess except that paragraph (3) of regulation 24 (determination of net earnings of employed earners) shall not apply and his net earnings shall be determined by taking into account those earnings which he is treated as possessing, less—

(a) an amount in respect of income tax equivalent to an amount determined by applying to those earnings the lower rate or, as the case may be, the lower rate and the basic rate or the basic rate and higher rate of tax in the year of assessment in which the application was made less only the personal relief to which the relevant person is entitled under sections 257(1), (6) and (7) and 259(1)(a) and (2) of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 (personal reliefs) as is appropriate to his circumstances; but, if the assessment period is less than a year, the earnings to which the lower rate and, if appropriate, the basic rate and higher rate of tax is to be applied and the amount of the personal relief deductible under this sub-paragraph shall be determined on a pro-rata basis;

(b) an amount equivalent to the amount of the primary Class 1 contributions that would be payable by him under the 1992 Act in respect of those earnings if—

(i) those earnings were actual earnings; and

(ii) the rate of any primary percentage applicable to those earnings were the rate applicable at the date of application; and

(c) one-half of any sum payable by the relevant person by way of a contribution towards an occupational or personal pension scheme.

(11) In paragraph (6)—

(a) “rates and rents” means eligible rates or rent to which regulations 9 or 10, as the case may be, of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 refer, less any deductions in respect of non-dependants which fall to be made under regulation 63(3) (non-dependant deductions) of those regulations;

(b) “ordinary clothing or footwear” means clothing or footwear for normal daily use but does not include school uniforms, or clothing or footwear used solely for sporting activities.

(12) Where the relevant person is an employed earner in the Republic of Ireland the amounts to be deducted for income tax and primary Class 1 contributions under this regulation shall be such amounts as would have been deducted had the relevant person been employed in Northern Ireland.

(1)

S.R. 1987 No. 461; the relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1988 No. 424, S.R. 1990 No. 297, S.R. 1990 No. 442, S.R. 1993 No. 145, S.R. 1993 No. 149 and S.R. 1996 No. 111

(2)

S.I. 1978/1050 (N.I. 20); to which there are no relevant amendments

(3)

Regulation 63 was amended by S.R. 1989 No. 125, S.R. 1990 No. 136, S.R. 1990 No. 345, S.R. 1991 No. 47, S.R. 1991 No. 79, S.R. 1992 No. 404, S.R. 1992 No. 549, S.R. 1993 No. 195, S.R. 1993 No. 233 and S.R. 1994 No. 81