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Amendment of the State Pension Credit Regulations

5.—(1) The State Pension Credit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(1) are amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (6).

(2) In regulation 1 (citation, commencement and interpretation)—

(a)in paragraph (2) omit the definition of “service user group”(2); and

(b)after paragraph (3) insert—

(3A) References in these Regulations to a claimant participating as a service user are to—

(a)a person who is being consulted by or on behalf of—

(i)a body which has a statutory duty to provide services in the field of health, social care or social housing, or

(ii)a body which conducts research or undertakes monitoring for the purpose of planning or improving such services,

in their capacity as a user, potential user, carer of a user or person otherwise affected by the provision of those services; or

(b)the carer of a person consulted under sub-paragraph (a)..

(3) In regulation 17A(3)(f)(3) (earnings of employed earners) for “claimant’s participation in a service user group” substitute “claimant participating as a service user”.

(4) In regulation 18(7A)(4) (notional income) for “claimant’s participation in a service user group” substitute “claimant participating as a service user”.

(5) In regulation 24(3)(5) (income paid to third parties) for “claimant’s participation in a service user group” substitute “claimant participating as a service user”.

(6) In paragraph 9(2B)(6) (the standard rate) of Schedule 2 (housing costs) for “0.5%” substitute “0.5 percentage points”.

(2)

The definition of “service user group” was inserted by regulation 5(2)(b) of S.R. 2009 No. 338

(3)

Regulation 17A was inserted by regulation 5 of S.I. 2003/2175 and paragraph (3)(f) was inserted by regulation 5(3) of S.R. 2009 No. 338

(4)

Paragraph (7A) was added by regulation 5(4)(b) of S.R. 2009 No. 338

(5)

Paragraph (3) was inserted by regulation 14(4)(b) of S.R. 2011 No. 357

(6)

Paragraph 9 was substituted by regulation 4(c) of S.R. 2004 No. 461 and amended by regulation 5 of S.R. 2007 No. 475. Sub-paragraph (2B) was inserted by regulation 2(2) of S.R. 2010 No. 340