The Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2021

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Housing Benefit (persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 (S.R. 2006 No. 406) to include new rates for Housing Benefit for those not subject to the transitional protection of the removal of the savings credit uplift. Where an individual or all members to a marriage attain pensionable age on or after 1 April 2021, they will not receive the uplift amount. Where one or more members of a household did attain pensionable age before 1st April 2021, the benefit unit will continue to receive the savings credit uplift.

Regulation 2(2) amends the Housing Benefit (persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 to insert “before 1st April 2021” into the column 1 or table 1 at paragraph 1 of Part 1 to Schedule 3 to maintain that those already in receipt of the saving credit uplift will retain it going forward.

Regulation 2(3) inserts new rows into the same table for the new categories of those who attain state pension age on or after 1st April 2021, and details the amount of housing benefit they will receive without the savings credit uplift.

These Regulations make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in Regulations made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to Great Britain and accordingly, by virtue of section 149(3) of, and paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to, the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8), are not subject to requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.