Emergency payments by Health and Social Services Boards, etc.
9.—(1) The Department may make arrangements—
(a)with a Board; or
(b)with any other body,
for the making on behalf of the Department by members of the staff of any Board or body of payments on account of benefits to which Article 52 of the 1986 Order applies in circumstances corresponding to those in which the Department itself has the power to make such payments under Article 52(1)(s) of that Order; and a Board shall have power to enter into any such arrangements.
(2) A payment under any such arrangements shall be treated for the purposes of any statutory provision as if it had been made by the Department.
(3) The Department shall repay a Board or other body such amount as the Department determines to be the reasonable administrative expenses incurred by the Board or body in making payments in accordance with arrangements under this Article.
(4) In this Article “Board” means a Health and Social Services Board established under Article 16 of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972(1).