Citation, commencement and interpretation
1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 and shall come into operation as follows—
(a)regulation 1 on 1st April 1997;
(b)regulations 2 to 5 in any case to which paragraph (2) applies, on 1st April 1997 and in any other case, on 7th April 1997.
(2) This paragraph applies in any case where—
(a)rent is payable at intervals of one month or any other interval which is not a week or a multiple thereof, or
(b)payments by way of rates are not made together with payments of rent at weekly intervals or multiples thereof.
(3) To the extent that any provision of these Regulations is due to come into operation on the same day as any provision of the Regulations listed in paragraph (4), these Regulations shall come into operation immediately after those Regulations.
(4) The Regulations referred to in paragraph (3) are—
(a)the Income-Related Benefits and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Personal Allowances for Children and Young Persons) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(1);
(b)the Social Security (Non-Dependant Deductions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(2).
(5) In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987(3).
(6) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(4) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Amendment of regulation 18 of the principal Regulations
2. In regulation 18(1) of the principal Regulations(5) (patients)—
(a)in sub-paragraphs (a), (b) and (d)(ii) for “£15·30” there shall be substituted “£15·60”;
(b)in sub-paragraphs (c)(i) and (d)(i) for “£12·25” there shall be substituted “£12·50”;
(c)in sub-paragraph (c)(ii) for “£30·60” there shall be substituted “£31·20”.
Amendment of regulation 63 of the principal Regulations
3. In regulation 63 of the principal Regulations (non-dependant deductions)—
(a)in paragraph (1)(b)(ii)(6) for “£1·30” there shall be substituted “£1·50”;
(b)in paragraph (2)(7)—
(i)in sub-paragraph (d) for “£114·00” there shall be substituted “£116·00”;
(ii)in sub-paragraph (e) for “£114·00” and “£2·60” there shall be substituted “£116·00” and “£3·00” respectively.
Amendment of Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations
4. In Schedule 2 to the principal Regulations (applicable amounts)—
(a)subject to paragraph (b), for Part I (personal allowances) there shall be substituted the Part set out in Schedule 1 to these Regulations;
(b)in paragraph 2 as it has effect by virtue of regulation 10(1) of the Income-Related Benefits and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Personal Allowances for Children and Young Persons) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (transitional provisions)—
(i)in sub-paragraph (b) for “£24·10” there shall be substituted “£24·75”;
(ii)in sub-paragraph (c) for “£28·85” there shall be substituted “£29·60”;
(iii)in sub-paragraph (d) for “£37·90” there shall be substituted “£38·90”;
(c)in Part II (family premium) in paragraph 3(b)(8) for “£10·55” there shall be substituted “£10·80”;
(d)for Part IV (amounts of premiums specified in Part III) there shall be substituted the Part set out in Schedule 2 to these Regulations.
Revocations
5. Regulations 2, 3, 4 and 6 of the Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(9) are hereby revoked.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland on
L.S.
John O'Neill
Assistant Secretary
4th March 1997.
The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland hereby consents to the foregoing Regulations.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland on
L.S.
R. E. Aiken
Assistant Secretary
4th March 1997.