The Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Amendment Order 2015

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Amendment Order 2015 and comes into force on 9th November 2015.

(2) Article 2(4) and Schedule 1 have effect for the purpose of determining subsidy payable for the relevant year beginning with 1st April 2014.

(3) Article 2(2) and (3) and article 3 have effect for the purpose of determining subsidy payable for—

(a) the relevant year beginning with 1st April 2014; and

(b) any subsequent relevant year.

(4) Article 4 and Schedules 3 and 4 have effect for the purpose of determining subsidy payable for the relevant year beginning with 1st April 2015.

(5) In this Order—

(a) the “1998 Order” means the Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Order 1998(1);

(b) “relevant year” means the period of a year beginning with 1st April in any calendar year, in respect of which a claim for subsidy is made.

The amount of an authority’s subsidy

2.—(1) The 1998 Order is amended as follows.

(2) In article 12 (amount of subsidy)—

(a) for paragraph (1)(2), substitute—

“(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the amount of an authority’s subsidy for the relevant year is the sum of the following—

(a) the amount of subsidy calculated in accordance with article 13;

(b) for an authority identified in column (1) of Schedule 1 (sums to be used in the calculation of subsidy), the amount in respect of the costs of administering the relevant benefit specified in column (2) of that Schedule for that authority;

(c) for an authority which is a participating authority for the purpose of Schedule 1A (additional amount of subsidy: activities to reduce fraud and error), the additional amount (if any) calculated in accordance with that Schedule; and

(d) for an authority which has modified any part of a scheme it administers in recognition of the operation of a local scheme under section 134(8) of the Act (arrangements for housing benefit), the additional amount calculated in accordance with paragraph (4).”;

(b) in paragraph (4)(3), for “(1)(c)” substitute “(1)(d)”.

(3) In article 13(1) (relevant benefit)(4), for the words from “Subject to” to “paid to an authority” substitute “The amount of subsidy payable under article 12(1)(a)”.

(4) For Schedule 1 (sums to be used in the calculation of subsidy)(5), substitute the Schedule 1 set out in Schedule 1 to this Order.

(5) After Schedule 1 (sums to be used in the calculation of subsidy), insert the Schedule 1A set out in Schedule 2 to this Order.

Additions to an authority’s subsidy

3.—(1) The 1998 Order is amended as follows.

(2) In article 18 (additions to subsidy), after paragraph (6ZA)(6) insert—

“(6ZB) For the purposes of paragraphs (1)(e) and (2), an “authority error overpayment” or an “administrative delay overpayment” does not include an overpayment of a kind to which paragraphs (6ZC) or (6ZD) apply.

(6ZC) This paragraph applies to an overpayment where—

(a) an authority receives real time information in respect of the overpayment which indicates that the overpayment was caused by the incorrect declaration of PAYE employment income or PAYE pension income by the claimant; and

(b) the authority—

(i) has sufficient real time information to make a revision or supersession decision on the claimant’s award; and

(ii) makes a revision or supersession decision during the period of 4 weeks beginning with the date on which the authority received the real time information.

(6ZD) This paragraph applies to an overpayment where—

(a) an authority receives real time information in respect of the overpayment which indicates that the overpayment was caused by the incorrect declaration of PAYE employment income or PAYE pension income by the claimant;

(b) the authority has insufficient real time information to make a revision or supersession decision;

(c) the authority requests further information from the claimant; and

(d) the authority makes a revision or supersession decision either—

(i) if the additional information is provided during the period of 4 weeks beginning with the date on which the authority received the real time information (“the 4 week period”), by the end of that 4 week period; or

(ii) if the additional information is provided after the 4 week period has ended, by the Monday following the date on which the additional information is received.

(6ZE) For the purposes of paragraphs (6ZC) and (6ZD)—

“PAYE employment income” has the meaning in section 683(2) of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003(7);

“PAYE pension income” has the meaning in section 683(3) of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003;

“real time information” means information which is reported by a Real Time Information employer or Real Time Information pension payer in respect of the PAYE employment income or PAYE pension income of its employees;

“Real Time Information employer” has the meaning in regulation 2A(1) of the Income Tax (Pay As You Earn) Regulations 2003(8);

“Real Time Information pension payer” has the meaning in regulation 2B(1) of the Income Tax (Pay As You Earn) Regulations 2003(9).”.

Rent rebate deductions from an authority’s subsidy

4.—(1) The 1998 Order is amended as follows.

(2) In Schedule 4A (rent rebate limitation deductions (Housing Revenue Account Dwellings))(10)—

(a) in Part 2 (England), in paragraph 3 (amount of deduction), for sub-paragraph (3)(11) substitute—

“(3) The rebate proportion for 2015-16 is 0.746.”.

(b) for Part 3 (weekly rent limits for purposes of Part 2: authorities in England)(12), substitute the Part 3 set out in Schedule 3 to this Order.

(c) for Part 5 (amounts for purposes of Part 4, paragraph 4: authorities in Wales)(13), substitute the Part 5 set out in Schedule 4 to this Order.

Amendments consequential to the abolition of community charge benefit

5.—(1) The 1998 Order is amended as follows.

(2) In article 11 (interpretation of Part 3)—

(a) omit the definition of “the Community Charge Benefits Regulations”;

(b) in the definition of “Overpayment”, omit “excess benefits under the Community Charge Benefits Regulations and”.

(3) In article 18 (additions to subsidy)—

(a) in paragraph (1)(b)(14), omit “community charge benefit or”;

(b) in paragraph (1)(b)(ii), omit “community charge benefit or”;

(c) in paragraph (8)(15)—

(i) omit “community charge benefit or”;

(ii) after “regulation 69 of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations”, for “of” substitute “or”;

(iii) omit “or paragraph (18) of regulation 60 of the Community Charge Benefits Regulations (time and manner in which claims are to be made)”.

(4) In paragraph (1)(g)(ii)(16) of article 19 (deductions to be made in calculating subsidy)—

(a) omit “paragraph (7) of article 2 of the Community Charge Benefits (Transitional) Order 1989,”;

(b) omit “paragraph (18) of regulation 60 of the Community Charge Benefits Regulations,”.

(5) In article 20 (deduction from subsidy), omit “or community charge benefit”.

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

Freud

Minister of State,

Department for Work and Pensions

12th October 2015

We consent

Charlie Elphicke

Mel Stride

Two of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury

12th October 2015