Welfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007

1. Introduction

2. Background and Policy Objectives

3. Consultation

4. Options Considered

5. Overview

6. Commentary on Sections

   1. PART 1: Employment and support allowance

      1. Entitlement

         1. Section 1: Employment and support allowance

         2. Section 2: Amount of contributory allowance

         3. Section 3: Deductions from contributory allowance: supplementary

         4. Section 4: Amount of income-related allowance

         5. Section 5: Advance award of income-related allowance

         6. Section 6: Amount payable where claimant entitled to both forms of allowance

         7. Section 7: Exclusion of payments below prescribed minimum

      2. Assessments relating to entitlement

         1. Section 8: Limited capability for work

         2. Section 9: Limited capability for work-related activity

         3. Section 10: Report

      3. Conditionality

         1. Section 11: Work-focused health-related assessments

         2. Section 12: Work-focused interviews

         3. Section 13: Work-related activity

         4. Section 14: Action plans in connection with work-focused interviews

         5. Section 15: Directions about work-related activity

         6. Section 16: Contracting out

      4. Miscellaneous

         1. Section 17: Income and capital: general

         2. Section 18: Disqualification

         3. Section 19: Pilot schemes

         4. Section 20: Relationship with statutory payments

         5. Section 21: Deemed entitlement for other purposes

         6. Section 23: Recovery of sums in respect of maintenance

      5. General

         1. Section 26: Assembly control

         2. Section 27: General financial arrangements

   2. PART 2: Housing benefit

      1. Section 30: Local housing allowance

      2. Section 31: Loss of housing benefit following eviction for anti-social behaviour,

      3. Section 32: Housing benefit for persons taking up employment

      4. Section 33: Section 32: supplemental

      5. Section 34: Interpretation

      6. Section 35: Payment of housing benefit

      7. Section 36: Directions by Department

   3. PART 3: Social security administration: General

      1. Sharing of social security information

         1. Section 38: Social security information

         2. Section 39: Information relating to certain benefits

         3. Section 40: Unlawful disclosure of certain information

      2. Overpayment recovery

         1. Section 41: Recovery of overpaid benefit

      3. Benefit fraud

         1. Sections 42 and 43: Housing Executive powers to investigate and prosecute benefit fraud

         2. Section 44: Housing Executive functions relating to benefit: information

         3. Section 45: Loss of benefit for commission of benefit offences

   4. Part 4: Miscellaneous

      1. Benefits for bereaved persons

         1. Section 46: Widowed mother's allowance

         2. Section 47: Widowed parent’s allowance

      2. Disability living allowance: age conditions

         1. Section 48: Care component of disability living allowance: persons under the age of 16

         2. Section 49: Mobility component of disability living allowance: persons under the age of 16

      3. Social fund

         1. Section 50: Matters to which regard must be had in awarding budgeting loans

         2. Section 51: Allocations from the social fund

      4. Compensation for pneumoconiosis

         1. Section 52: Relevant employer

         2. Section 53: Dependant

      5. Other

         1. Section 54: Power to stop payment of allowances to care home residents

         2. Section 55: Medical examinations

7. Schedules

   1. Schedule 1 - Employment and support allowance: additional conditions

   2. Schedule 2 - Employment and support allowance: supplementary provision

   3. Schedule 3 - Consequential amendments relating to Part 1

   4. Schedule 4 - Transition relating to Part 1

   5. Schedule 5 - Minor and consequential amendments relating to Part 2

   6. Schedule 6 - Schedule to be inserted in the Pneumoconiosis Order

   7. Schedule 7 - Minor and consequential amendments relating to Part 4

8. Definitions