The Social Security (Adjudication) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995

Manner of making applications, appeals or references; and time limits

3.—(1) Any application, appeal or reference mentioned in column (1) of Schedule 2 shall be in writing and shall be made or given by sending or delivering it to the appropriate office within the specified time.

(2) In this regulation—

“the appropriate office” means the office specified in column (2) of Schedule 2 opposite the description of the relevant application, appeal or reference listed in column (1) of that Schedule;

“the specified time” means the time specified in column (3) of Schedule 2 opposite the description of the relevant application, appeal or reference listed in column (1) of that Schedule.

(3) The time specified by this regulation and Schedule 2 for the making of any application, appeal or reference (except an application to the chairman of an appeal tribunal, a medical appeal tribunal or a disability appeal tribunal for leave to appeal to a Commissioner) may be extended for special reasons, even though the time so specified may already have expired, and any application for an extension of time under this paragraph shall be made to and determined by the person or body to whom the application, appeal or reference is sought to be made or, in the case of a tribunal or board, its chairman.

(4) An application under paragraph (3) for an extension of time which has been refused may not be renewed.

(5) Any application, appeal or reference under these Regulations shall contain particulars of the grounds on which it is made or given and, in the case of an appeal, it shall include sufficient particulars of the decision under appeal to enable that decision to be identified.

(6) Where it appears to the Department, an adjudication officer or the chairman of a tribunal or board that an application, appeal or reference which is made to it or him or to the tribunal or board gives insufficient particulars to enable the question at issue to be determined, it or he may require the person making the application, appeal or reference to furnish such further particulars as may reasonably be required.

(7) A chairman of an appeal tribunal, a medical appeal tribunal or a disability appeal tribunal may give directions for the disposal of any purported appeal where he is satisfied that the tribunal does not have jurisdiction to entertain the appeal.