Citation and commencement
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Notification of Change of Circumstances) Regulations 2001 and shall come into force on 18th October 2001.
Notification for purposes of sections 111A and 112 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992
2. Regulations 3 to 5 below prescribe the person to whom, and manner in which, a change of circumstances must be notified for the purposes of sections 111A(1A) to (1G) and 112(1A) to (1F) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (offences relating to failure to notify a change of circumstances).
Change affecting jobseeker’s allowance
3.—(1) Where the benefit affected by the change of circumstances is a jobseeker’s allowance, notice must be given or sent to the Secretary of State in writing (except where he determines in any particular case that he will accept a notice other than in writing) at the office that the claimant is required to attend in accordance with a notification given to him under regulation 23 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996(1).
(2) In this regulation “Secretary of State” includes a person designated as an employment officer by an order made by the Secretary of State under section 8(3) of the Jobseekers Act 1995(2).
Change affecting housing benefit or council tax benefit
4.—(1) Where the benefit affected by the change of circumstances is housing benefit or council tax benefit, notice must be given or sent in writing to the relevant authority at—
(a)the designated office; or
(b)in a case where notification at another office is permitted under regulation 75 of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987(3) or regulation 65 of the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992(4) (duty to notify changes for claims and payments purposes), that other office.
(2) In this regulation “designated office” and “relevant authority” have the same meaning as in the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987 and the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992.
Change affecting other benefit payment or advantage
5.—(1) Where the benefit or other payment or advantage affected by the change of circumstances is not a jobseeker’s allowance, housing benefit or council tax benefit, notice must be given or sent to the Secretary of State in writing (except where he determines in any particular case that he will accept a notice other than in writing) at the appropriate office.
(2) In this regulation “the appropriate office” has the same meaning as in the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987(5).
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Malcolm Wicks
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Department for Work and Pensions
26th September 2001