The Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1988

5.  After paragraph (8) insert the following paragraphs—

“(8A) The Department shall allocate amounts for payments from the social fund such as are mentioned in paragraph (2)(b) in a financial year.

(8B) The Department may specify the amounts either as sums of money or by reference to money falling into the social fund on repayment or partial repayment of loans, or partly in the former and partly in the latter manner.

(8C) Allocations—

(a) may be for payments by a particular social fund officer or group of social fund officers;

(b) may be of different amounts for different purposes;

(c) may be made at such time or times as the Department considers appropriate; and

(d) may be in addition to any other allocation to the same officer or group of officers or for the same purpose.

(8D) The Department may at any time re-allocate amounts previously allocated, and paragraphs (8B) and (8C) shall have effect in relation to a re-allocation as they have effect in relation to an allocation.”.