Freeze on certain benefitsN.I.
Freeze of certain social security benefits for 4 tax yearsN.I.
8.—(1) For each of the tax years ending with 5 April 2017, 5 April 2018, 5 April 2019 and 5 April 2020, the amount of each of the relevant sums is to remain the same as it was in the tax year ending with 5 April 2016.
(2) Accordingly, an up-rating order made under section 132 of the Administration Act in the tax years ending with 5 April 2017, 5 April 2018 and 5 April 2019 must not cover any of the relevant sums.
(3) In this Article—
“tax year” means a period beginning with 6 April in one year and ending with 5 April in the next;
“relevant sums” are the sums—
specified in paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987;
specified in paragraph 1 of Schedule 4 to the Housing Benefit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006;
specified in paragraph 25 of Schedule 4 to the Housing Benefit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006;
specified in regulations under Article 6(2) of the Jobseekers Order;
specified in paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996;
specified in regulations under section 2(1)(a) of the 2007 Act;
specified in regulations under section 2(4)(c) of the 2007 Act, so far as relating to the component under section 2(3) of that Act;
specified in paragraph 1 of Schedule 4 to the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008;
specified in regulations under section 4(6)(c) of the 2007 Act, so far as relating to the component under section 4(5) of that Act;
specified in regulations under Article 14(2) of the 2015 Order;
specified in regulations under Article 15(3) of the 2015 Order in respect of an amount to be included under Article 15(2) of that Order (but where more than one sum is so specified, only the smaller or smallest of those sums is a “relevant sum”);
specified in regulations under Article 17(3) of the 2015 Order in respect of needs or circumstances of a claimant prescribed by virtue of Article 17(2)(a) of that Order (but not in respect of needs or circumstances prescribed by virtue of Article 17(2)(b)).