Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992

80 Beneficiary’s dependent children

(1) Subject to section 61 above and to the following provisions of this Part of this Act, the weekly rate of any benefit to which this subsection applies shall, for any period for which the beneficiary is entitled to child benefit in respect of a child or children, be increased in respect of that child, or each respectively of those children, by the amount specified in relation to the benefit in question in Schedule 4, Part IV, column (2).

(2) Subsection (1) above applies to—

(a) unemployment benefit where the beneficiary is over pensionable age;

(b) sickness benefit where the beneficiary is over pensionable age;

(c) invalidity pension; and

(d) Category A, Category B or Category C retirement pension.

(3) In any case where—

(a) a beneficiary is one of two persons who are—

(i) spouses residing together; or

(ii) an unmarried couple; and

(b) the other person had earnings in any week,

the beneficiary’s right to payment of increases for the following week under subsection (1) above shall be determined in accordance with subsection (4) below.

(4) No such increase shall be payable—

(a) in respect of the first child where the earnings were £115 or more; and

(b) in respect of a further child for each complete £15 by which the earnings exceeded £115.

(5) Subject to section 81 below, the weekly rate of a widowed mother’s allowance payable by virtue of subsection (1)(a) of section 37 above shall be increased for any period in respect of the child or, if more than one, each respectively of the children falling within subsection (2)(a), (b) or (c) of that section in respect of whom she is for the time being entitled to child benefit by the amount specified in relation to that allowance in Schedule 4, Part IV, column (2).

(6) Subject to section 81 below, the weekly rate of a child’s special allowance shall, for any period for which the beneficiary is entitled to child benefit in respect of two or more children with respect to whom the conditions specified in section 56(1)(b) and (c) above are satisfied, be increased in respect of each respectively of those children other than the elder or eldest by the amount specified in relation to that allowance in Schedule 4, Part IV, column (2).

(7) In this section—

• “unmarried couple” means a man and a woman who are not married to each other but are living together as husband and wife; and

• “week” means such period of 7 days as may be prescribed for the purposes of this section.