The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 and shall come into operation on 16th January 1998.

(2) In these Regulations—

“the Administration Act” means the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992;

“the Contributions and Benefits Act” means the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992;

“the Income Support Regulations” means the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987(1);

“the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations” means the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(2);

“constant attendance allowance” means an increase of disablement pension under section 104 of the Contributions and Benefits Act;

“graduated retirement benefit” means the benefit to which section 62 of the Contributions and Benefits Act applies;

“income-based jobseeker’s allowance” has the same meaning in these Regulations as it has in the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995(3) by virtue of Article 3(4) of that Order;

“industrial death benefit” means a benefit to which Part VI of Schedule 7 to the Contributions and Benefits Act refers;

“married couple” means a man and woman who are married to each other and are members of the same household;

“partner” means where a person—

(a)

is a member of a married or an unmarried couple living in the same household, the other member of that couple;

(b)

is married polygamously to two or more members of his household, any such member living in the same household;

“the qualifying week” means the week beginning on and including 5th January 1998;

“retirement pension” for the purposes of regulation 2(6) means a retirement pension to which Parts II and III of the Contributions and Benefits Act refers;

“unmarried couple” means a man and woman who are not married to each other but are living together as husband and wife;

“winter fuel payment” means a payment made under these Regulations out of the social fund, to meet expenses for heating pursuant to section 134(2) of the Contributions and Benefits Act.

(3) Whether in any case a person is or is not to be treated as being a member of a household is to be determined in accordance with regulation 16 of the Income Support Regulations(4).

(4) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(5) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to a Measure of the Assembly.

(1)

S.R. 1987 No. 459; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1988 No. 146, S.R. 1989 No. 139, S.R. 1992 No. 147, S.R. 1993 Nos. 149, 165, 235 and 373, S.R. 1997 Nos. 113 and 412

(2)

S.R. 1996 No. 198; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1996 No. 503

(3)

S.I. 1995/2705 (N.I. 15)

(4)

Regulation 16 was amended by S.R. 1988 No. 146, S.R. 1989 No. 139, S.R. 1990 No. 387, S.R. 1993 Nos. 149 and 373, S.R. 1996 Nos. 199 and 405

(5)

1954 c. 33 (N.I.)