The Child Support (Variations) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

Thresholds for and reduction of amount of special expenses

15.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) to (4), the costs or repayments referred to in regulations 10 and 12 to 14 shall be special expenses for the purposes of paragraph 2(2) of Schedule 4B to the Order where and to the extent that they exceed the threshold amount, which is—

(a) £15 per week where the expenses fall within only one description of expenses, and, where the expenses fall within more than one description of expenses, £15 per week in respect of the aggregate of those expenses, where the relevant net weekly income of the non-resident parent is £200 or more; or

(b) £10 per week where the expenses fall within only one description of expenses, and, where the expenses fall within more than one description of expenses, £10 per week in respect of the aggregate of those expenses, where the relevant net weekly income of the non-resident parent is below £200.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), where the Department considers any expenses referred to in regulations 10 to 14 to be unreasonably high or to have been unreasonably incurred it may substitute such lower amount as it considers reasonable, including an amount which is below the threshold amount or a nil amount.

(3) Any lower amount substituted by the Department under paragraph (2) in relation to contact costs under regulation 10 shall not be so low as to make it impossible, in the Department’s opinion, for contact between the non-resident parent and the qualifying child to be maintained at the frequency specified in any court order made in respect of the non-resident parent and that child where the non-resident parent is maintaining contact at that frequency.

(4) For the purposes of this regulation “relevant net weekly income” means the net weekly income taken into account for the purposes of the maintenance calculation before taking account of any variation on the grounds of special expenses.