The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations 2023

Statutory Instruments

2023 No. 549

Social Security

The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations 2023

Made

16th May 2023

Laid before Parliament

18th May 2023

Coming into force

18th September 2023

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 138(2) and (4) and 175(1), (3) and (4) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992(1).

The Social Security Advisory Committee has agreed that proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it(2).

Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations 2023.

(2) These Regulations come into force on 18th September 2023.

(3) These Regulations extend to England and Wales and Scotland.

Modification of the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2000

2.—(1) For the purpose of making social fund winter fuel payments in respect of the 2023-24 winter, regulation 2 of the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2000(3) (social fund winter fuel payments) is applied as if—

(a) the references to £100 (in both places) were to £250;

(b) in paragraphs (1)(i), (2)(a) and (3), the reference to £200 were to £500;

(c) in paragraph (2)(b), the reference to £200 were to £350;

(d) in paragraph (2)(b), the reference to £150 were to £300; and

(e) the references to £300 (in both places) were to £600.

(2) In this regulation, “the 2023-24 winter” means the winter that follows the qualifying week beginning on 18th September 2023.

Revocation

3.  The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations 2022(4) are revoked.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Laura Trott

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Department for Work and Pensions

16th May 2023

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations modify the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/729) to provide for an increase in winter fuel payments for the 2023-24 winter.

These Regulations also revoke the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/813), which provided for an increase in payments for the 2022-23 winter.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on the private or voluntary sectors.

(1)

1992 c. 4. Section 175(1) and (4) were amended by the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 (c. 2), Schedule 3, paragraph 29.

(2)

See sections 170, 172 and 173(1)(b) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c. 5). Section 173(1)(b) provides that proposals in respect of regulations which would otherwise be referable to the Social Security Advisory Committee need not be referred with the agreement of that Committee. Amendments not relevant to these Regulations have been made to section 170.

(3)

S.I. 2000/729. Regulation 2 was substituted by S.I. 2003/1737 and amended by S.I. 2003/2192, 2004/2154, 2008/1554, 2009/1488, 2013/1509, 2014/3270, 2015/67, and 2021/811. Other amendments have been made which are not relevant to these Regulations.

(4)

S.I. 2022/813.