PART IIIAMENDMENTS TO THE DECISIONS AND APPEALS REGULATIONS

Amendment of regulation 1319

In regulation 13 (income support and social fund determinations on incomplete evidence) –

a

in paragraph (1) –

i

for sub-paragraph (a) there shall be substituted the following sub-paragraph –

a

a determination falls to be made by the Department as to what housing costs are to be included in –

i

a claimant’s applicable amount by virtue of regulation 17(1)(e) or 18(1)(f) of, and Schedule 3 to, the Income Support Regulations, or

ii

a claimant’s appropriate minimum guarantee by virtue of regulation 6(6)(c) of, and Schedule 2 to, the State Pension Credit Regulations; and

ii

for “applicable amount are those” there shall be substituted “applicable amount or, as the case may be, appropriate minimum guarantee are those”;

b

after paragraph (2) there shall be added the following paragraph –

3

Where, for the purposes of a decision under Article 9 or 11 –

a

a determination falls to be made by the Department as to whether a claimant’s appropriate minimum guarantee includes an additional amount in accordance with regulation 6(4) of, and paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to, the State Pension Credit Regulations; and

b

it appears to the Department that it is not in possession of all the information or evidence which is relevant for the purpose of such a determination,

it shall make the determination on the assumption that the relevant information or evidence which is not in its possession is adverse to the claimant.