Social Security (Northern Ireland) Act 1975

66 Adult dependants

(1) The weekly rate of injury benefit, and of a disablement pension where the beneficiary is entitled to an unemployability supplement, shall be increased under this section for any period during which—

(a) the beneficiary is—

(i) residing with his wife ; or

(ii) contributing to the maintenance of his wife at the requisite rate ; or

(b) the beneficiary's husband is incapable of self-support, and either they are residing together or she is contributing to his maintenance at the requisite rate; or

(c) the beneficiary has residing with him and is wholly or mainly maintaining any such other relative as may be prescribed, being a relative in relation to whom such further conditions as may be prescribed are fulfilled; or

(d) some female person (not a child) has the care of a child or children of the beneficiary's family, or of a child or children treated as such for the purposes of section 64 above, being a person in relation to whom such further conditions as may be prescribed are fulfilled.

(2) The amount of the increase under this section shall be—

(a) in the case of injury benefit, that specified in Schedule 4, Part V, paragraph 11;

(b) in the case of a disablement pension, that specified in Schedule 4, Part V, paragraph 12 ;

and the requisite rate for the purposes of subsection (1)(a) and (b) above is a weekly rate not less than that amount.

(3) Regulations may provide that a beneficiary is not to be entitled to an increase of benefit under this section in respect of a wife or husband where the earnings of the wife or husband (calculated or estimated in the prescribed manner and on the prescribed basis) exceed the prescribed amount.

(4) Where the beneficiary is entitled to an unemployability supplement and is residing with his wife, and the earnings of his wife for the calendar week ending last before any week for which he is entitled to benefit under this section exceeded £20, the weekly rate of benefit under this section shall for the last-mentioned week be reduced—

(a) where the excess is less than £4, by 5 pence for each complete 10 pence of the excess ; and

(b) where the excess is not less than £4, by 5 pence for each complete 10 pence of the excess up to £4 and by 5 pence for each complete 5 pence of any further excess.

(5) With effect from such day as may be prescribed in the week containing 6th April in a year mentioned in the first column below, subsection (4) above shall have effect with the substitution for " £20 " of the amount specified in relation to that year in the second column below—

1976	£35
1977	£50.

(6) Regulations under subsection (3) above—

(a) shall not restrict the amount of benefit in a case within subsection (4);

(b) may, in a case within subsection (1)(d) in which the female person is residing with a beneficiary entitled to unemployability supplement, and fulfils such further conditions as may be prescribed, authorise an increase of benefit under this section, but subject to a reduction in respect of the female person's earnings, other than such of her earnings from employment by the beneficiary as may be prescribed, comparable to the reduction in subsection (4);

(c) may, in connection with any reduction of benefit in respect of earnings, prescribe the method of calculating or estimating the earnings.

(7) A beneficiary shall not be entitled to an increase of benefit under this section in respect of more than one person for the same period.

(8) In this section " relative " does not include any person who is a child.