Amendments to the Income Support (General) Regulations 19872
1
The Income Support (General) Regulations 198710 are amended as follows.
2
After the definition of “liable relative” in regulation 2(1) (interpretation), insert—
“local welfare provision” means occasional financial or other assistance given by a local authority, the Scottish Ministers or the Welsh Ministers, or a person authorised to exercise any function of, or provide a service to, them, to or in respect of individuals for the purpose of—
- a
meeting, or helping to meet, an immediate short term need—
- i
arising out of an exceptional event, or exceptional circumstances; and
- ii
that requires to be met in order to avoid a risk to the well-being of an individual; or
- b
enabling individuals to establish or maintain a settled home, where those individuals have been or, without the assistance, might otherwise be—
- i
in prison, hospital, a residential care establishment or other institution; or
- ii
homeless or otherwise living an unsettled way of life;
3
In regulation 54 (interpretation) in paragraph (e)(ii) of the definition of “payment”11—
a
omit “the payment is”; and
b
for “rent, housing costs,” substitute “rent for which housing benefit is payable, housing costs to the extent that they are met under regulation 17(1)(e) or 18(1)(f) (housing costs),”.
4
In Schedule 3 (housing costs)12—
a
in paragraph 3(7)(c)(ii) (circumstances in which a person is to be treated as occupying a dwelling as his home) after “pending” insert “local welfare provision or”; and
b
in paragraph 18(7)(i) (non-dependant deductions) before “employment and support allowance” insert “income-related”.