The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (Northern Ireland) 2018

Dates on which sums specified for rates or amounts of benefits in Articles 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 and 14 are changed by this Order

7.—(1) Paragraphs (2) to (8), which are subject to the provisions of paragraphs (9), (10) and (11) specify the date on which the changes made by this Order in the sums specified for rates or amounts of benefit in Articles 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 and 14 shall take effect for each case.

(2) Any increases in the sums mentioned in Articles 3, 4, 12 and 13 for Category A, Category B, Category C and Category D retirement pension and graduated retirement benefit together with, where appropriate, any increases for dependants, shall take effect on 9th April 2018.

(3) The increases in the sums mentioned in Article 5(2) shall take effect on 9th April 2018.

(4) Any increases in the sums specified for—

(a) the rates of—

(i) attendance allowance, and

(ii) carer’s allowance (except in a case where the Department has made arrangements for it to be paid on a Wednesday); and

(b) any increases in—

(i) carer’s allowance referred to in sub-paragraph (a)(ii), and

(ii) widowed mother’s allowance and widowed parent’s allowance,

in respect of dependants,

shall take effect on 9th April 2018.

(5) Any increases in the sums specified for—

(a) the rate of—

(i) carer’s allowance in a case where the Department has made arrangements for it to be paid on a Wednesday,

(ii) disablement benefit,

(iii) maximum disablement gratuity under paragraph 9(2) of Schedule 7 to the Contributions and Benefits Act,

(iv) industrial death benefit by way of widow’s and widower’s pension,

(v) the maximum of the aggregate of weekly benefit payable for successive accidents under section 107(1) of the Contributions and Benefits Act; and

(b) any increases in—

(i) the benefits referred to in sub-paragraph (a)(i), (ii) and (iv) in respect of dependants, and

(ii) disablement pension,

shall take effect on 11th April 2018.

(6) In any case where a person’s weekly rate of Category A or Category B retirement pension falls to be increased under the provisions of section 47(1) or 48C(2) of the Contributions and Benefits Act(1) by reference to the weekly rate of invalidity allowance or age addition to long-term incapacity benefit to which the person was previously entitled, any increase in such sum shall take effect on 9th April 2018.

(7) The changes in the sums specified for the rate of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance together with, where appropriate, any increases for dependants, shall take effect on 12th April 2018.

(8) The increases in the sums falling to be calculated in accordance with paragraph 13(4) of Schedule 7 to the Contributions and Benefits Act (retirement allowance) shall take effect on 11th April 2018.

(9) Any increases in the sums specified in Article 3 in so far as those sums are relevant for the purposes of establishing whether the rate of any benefit is not to be increased in respect of an adult dependant because the earnings of the dependant exceed a specified amount, shall take effect—

(a) except in a case where sub-paragraph (b) applies, on the first day of the first benefit week to commence for the beneficiary on or after 9th April 2018;

(b) in a case where regulation 7(b) of the Computation of Earnings Regulations (date on which earnings are treated as paid) applies, on the first day of the first benefit week to commence for the beneficiary on or after 1st April 2018,

and for the purposes of this paragraph, “benefit week” has the same meaning as in regulation 2(1) of the Computation of Earnings Regulations.

(10) Any increases in the sums mentioned in Article 6 for state pension under Part 1 of the Pensions Act shall take effect on 9th April 2018.

(11) The increase in the sum mentioned in Article 14 shall take effect on 9th April 2018.

(1)

Section 47(1) was amended by paragraph 13 of Schedule 1 to the Social Security (Incapacity for Work) (Northern Ireland) Order 1994 (S.I. 1994/1898 (N.I. 12)) (see also regulation 23 of S.R. 1995 No. 35) and section 48C was inserted by paragraph 3(1) of Schedule 2 to the Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and amended by paragraph 6 of Schedule 8 and paragraph 11 of Schedule 9 to the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, sections 33(12) and 35(1) of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 2000, paragraph 2 of the Schedule to S.R. 2005 No. 434, paragraph 10 of Schedule 2 to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 and paragraph 55 of Schedule 12 to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015