The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2023 No. 85

Social Security

The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023

Made

26th May 2023

Coming into operation

18th September 2023

The Department for Communities(1) makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 134(2) and 171(1), (3) and (4) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992(2) and now vested in it(3).

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023 and shall come into operation on 18th September 2023.

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

Modification of the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations

2.—(1) For the purpose of making social fund winter fuel payments in respect of the 2023-24 winter, regulation 2 of the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000(5) (social fund winter fuel payments) is applied as if—

(a) the references to £100 (in both places) were to £250;

(b) in paragraphs (1)(i), (2)(a) and (3), the reference to £200 were to £500;

(c) in paragraph (2)(b), the reference to £200 were to £350;

(d) in paragraph (2)(b), the reference to £150 were to £300; and

(e) the references to £300 (in both places) were to £600.

(2) In this regulation “the 2023-24 winter” means the winter that follows the qualifying week beginning on 18th September 2023.

Revocation

3.  The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022(6) are revoked.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Communities on 26th May 2023.

(L.S.)

David Tarr

A senior officer of the Department for Communities

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations modify the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 (S.R. 2000 No. 91) to provide for a temporary increase in winter fuel payments for the 2023-24 winter.

These Regulations also revoke the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 (S.R. 2022. No.215), which provided for an increase in payments for the 2022-23 winter.

These Regulations make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in Regulations made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to Great Britain and accordingly, by virtue of section 149(3) of, and paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to, the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on the private or voluntary sectors.

(1)

The Department for Social Development was renamed the Department for Communities in accordance with section 1(7) of the Departments Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (c. 5 (N.I.))

(2)

1992 c. 7; section 171(1) was amended by paragraph 5 of Schedule 4 to the Tax Credits Act 2002 (c. 21)

(3)

See Article 8(b) of S.R. 1999 No. 481

(4)

1954 c. 33 (N.I.)

(5)

S.R. 2000 No. 91; regulation 2 was substituted by regulation 2 of S.R. 2003 No. 349 and amended by regulation 2 of S.R. 2003 No. 389, regulation 2(3) of S.R. 2004 No. 354, regulation 24(3) of S.R. 2008 No. 286, regulation 6(3) of S.R. 2010 No. 103, regulation 2(2) of S.R. 2013 No. 191, regulation 4(3) of S.R. 2015 No. 34, regulation 2(2) of S.R. 2015 No. 216 and by paragraph 9 of the Schedule to S.R. 2018 No. 1085

(6)

S.R. 2022 No. 215