The Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998

Suspension in prescribed circumstances

21.—(1) Regulations may provide for—

(a) suspending payments of a relevant benefit, in whole or in part, in prescribed circumstances;

(b) the subsequent making in prescribed circumstances of any or all of the payments so suspended.

(2) Regulations made under paragraph (1) may, in particular, make provision for any case where—

(a) it appears to the Department that an issue arises whether the conditions for entitlement to a relevant benefit are or were fulfilled;

(b) it appears to the Department that an issue arises whether a decision as to an award of a relevant benefit should be revised (under Article 10) or superseded (under Article 11);

(c) an appeal is pending against a decision of an appeal tribunal, a Commissioner or a court; or

(d) an appeal is pending against the decision given in a different case by a Commissioner or a court, and it appears to the Department that if the appeal were to be determined in a particular way an issue would arise whether the award of a relevant benefit (whether the same benefit or not) in the case itself ought to be revised or superseded.

(3) For the purposes of paragraph (2), an appeal against a decision is pending if—

(a) an appeal against the decision has been brought but not determined;

(b) an application for leave to appeal against the decision has been made but not determined; or

(c) in such circumstances as may be prescribed, an appeal against the decision has not been brought (or, as the case may be, an application for leave to appeal against the decision has not been made) but the time for doing so has not yet expired.

(4) Any reference in this Article or Article 24 or 25 to a relevant benefit includes a reference to statutory sick pay and statutory maternity pay.