The Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998

PART V MISCELLANEOUS AND SUPPLEMENTAL

Pilot schemes

73.—(1) Any regulations to which this paragraph applies may be made so as to have effect for a specified period not exceeding 12 months.

(2) Any regulations which, by virtue of paragraph (1), are to have effect for a limited period are referred to in this Article as “a pilot scheme”.

(3) A pilot scheme may provide that its provisions are to apply only in relation to—

(a) one or more specified areas or localities;

(b) one or more specified classes of person;

(c) persons selected—

(i) by reference to prescribed criteria; or

(ii) on a sampling basis.

(4) A pilot scheme may make consequential or transitional provision with respect to the cessation of the scheme on the expiry of the specified period.

(5) A pilot scheme (“the previous scheme”) may be replaced by a further pilot scheme making the same, or similar, provision (apart from the specified period) to that made by the previous scheme.

(6) In so far as a pilot scheme would, apart from this paragraph, have the effect of—

(a) treating as capable of work any person who would not otherwise be so treated; or

(b) reducing the total amount of benefit that would otherwise be payable to any person,

it shall not apply in relation to that person.

(7) Paragraph (1) applies to—

(a) regulations made under section 167D of the Contributions and Benefits Act (incapacity for work: persons to be treated as incapable or capable of work); and

(b) in so far as they are consequential on or supplementary to any such regulations, regulations made under any of the provisions mentioned in paragraph (8).

(8) The provisions are—

(a) subsection (5)(a) of section 22 of the Contributions and Benefits Act (earnings factors);

(b) section 30C of that Act (incapacity benefit: days and periods of incapacity for work);

(c) sections 68 and 69 of that Act (severe disablement allowance);

(d) subsection (1)(e) of section 123 of that Act (income support) and, so far as relating to income support, subsection (1) of section 131 of that Act (the applicable amount);

(e) Part XIIA of that Act (incapacity for work);

(f) section 59A of the Administration Act and Article 31 (incapacity for work).

Regulations and orders

74.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) and Article 15(13), regulations under this Order shall be made by the Department.

(2) Regulations with respect to proceedings before the Commissioners (whether for the determination of any matter or for leave to appeal to or from the Commissioners) shall be made by the Lord Chancellor.

(3) Where a power under this Order to make regulations or an order is expressed to be exercisable for alternative purposes it may be exercised in relation to the same case for any or all of those purposes.

(4) Powers to make regulations for the purposes of any one provision of this Order are without prejudice to powers to make regulations for the purposes of any other provision.

(5) Without prejudice to any specific provision in this Order, a power conferred by this Order to make regulations includes power to make thereby such incidental, supplementary, consequential or transitional provision as appears to the authority making the regulations to be expedient for the purposes of those regulations.

(6) Without prejudice to any specific provision in this Order, a power conferred by any provision of this Order to make regulations includes power to provide for a person to exercise a discretion in dealing with any matter.

(7) Any power conferred by this Order to make regulations relating to housing benefit shall include power to make different provision for different areas.

(8) In this Article “Commissioner” has the same meaning as in section 167(1) of the Administration Act.

Assembly, etc. control of regulations

75.—(1) The regulations to which this paragraph applies shall be laid before the Assembly after being made and shall take effect on such date as may be specified in the regulations, but shall (without prejudice to the validity of anything done thereunder or to the making of new regulations) cease to have effect upon the expiration of a period of six months from that date unless at some time before the expiration of that period the regulations have been approved by a resolution of the Assembly.

(2) Paragraph (1) applies to regulations (whether made alone or with other regulations) under—

(a) Article 8, 13(2), 68 or 73; or

(b) paragraph 12 of Schedule 1, paragraph 9 of Schedule 2 or paragraph 2 of Schedule 4.

(3) Regulations made under this Order by the Department, other than regulations to which paragraph (1) applies, shall be subject to negative resolution.

(4) Regulations made under this Order by the Lord Chancellor shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament in like manner as a statutory instrument, and section 5 of the [1946 c. 36.] Statutory Instruments Act 1946 shall apply accordingly.

Reports by the Department

76.—(1) The Department shall prepare, either annually or at such times or intervals as may be prescribed, a report on the standards achieved by the Department in the making of decisions against which an appeal lies to an appeal tribunal constituted under Chapter I of Part II.

(2) A copy of every such report shall be laid before the Assembly.

Transitory provisions

77.  Schedule 5 (which contains transitory provisions) shall have effect.

Minor and consequential amendments and repeals

78.—(1) The statutory provisions mentioned in Schedule 6 shall have effect subject to the amendments there specified, being minor amendments and amendments consequential on the provisions of this Order.

(2) The statutory provisions mentioned in Schedule 7, which include some that are spent, are hereby repealed to the extent specified in the third column of that Schedule.