Citation and commencement
1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (Northern Ireland) 1997 and, subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), shall come into operation for the purposes of—
(a)Articles 1, 2 and 6 on 1st April 1997;
(b)Article 8, in so far as it relates to a particular beneficiary, on the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that beneficiary on or after 1st April 1997 and, for the purpose of this sub-paragraph, “benefit week” has the same meaning as in the Computation of Earnings Regulations;
(c)Articles 9 and 10 on 6th April 1997;
(d)Articles 3 to 5 and 11 to 13 on 7th April 1997;
(e)Articles 16, 17 and 25 on 8th April 1997;
(f)Article 7 on 9th April 1997;
(g)Articles 14, 15 and 26 on 10th April 1997;
(h)Articles 18 to 20, in so far as they relate to a particular beneficiary, on the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that beneficiary on or after 7th April 1997 and, for the purposes of this sub-paragraph and sub-paragraph (i), “benefit week” has the same meaning as in the Income Support Regulations;
(i)Article 21(c)(ii), in so far as the sums specified are relevant for the purposes of paragraph 17(2)(a) of Schedule 3 to the Income Support Regulations or paragraph 16(2)(a) of Schedule 2 to the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations, on the first day of the first benefit week to commence for the beneficiary on or after 7th April 1997;
(j)except in a case to which sub-paragraph (i) applies, Article 21 in relation to a case where rent is payable at intervals of a week or any multiple thereof, on 7th April 1997 and in relation to any other case on 1st April 1997; and
(k)Articles 22 to 24, in so far as they relate to a particular beneficiary, on the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that beneficiary on or after 7th April 1997 and, for the purpose of this sub-paragraph, “benefit week” has the same meaning as in the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations.
(2) The increases made—
(a)in the sums specified for rates or amounts of benefit under the Contributions and Benefits Act or the Pension Schemes Act; and
(b)by Article 22(c) in so far as it is relevant for the purposes referred to in Article 6(11),
shall take effect for each case on the date specified in relation to that case in Article 6.
(3) To the extent that any provision of this Order is due to come into operation on the same day as any provision of the Regulations listed in paragraph (4), this Order shall come into operation immediately after those Regulations.
(4) The Regulations referred to in paragraph (3) are—
(a)the Child Benefit, Child Support and Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(1);
(b)the Personal Allowances for Children and Young Persons Regulations; and
(c)the Social Security (Non-Dependant Deductions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(2).