The Housing Benefit (Payment to Third Parties) (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

Statutory Instruments

1996 No. 2597 (N.I. 20)

NORTHERN IRELAND

The Housing Benefit (Payment to Third Parties) (Northern Ireland) Order 1996

Made

15th October 1996

Laid before Parliament

16th October 1996

Coming into operation

22nd October 1996

At the Court at Buckingham Palace, the 15th day of October 1996

Present,

The Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council

Whereas this Order is made only for purposes corresponding to those of section 120 of the [1996 c. 52.] Housing Act 1996:

Now, therefore, Her Majesty, in exercise of the powers conferred by paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the [1974 c. 28] Northern Ireland Act 1974 (as modified by section 226 of the said Act of 1996) and of all other powers enabling Her in that behalf, is pleased, by and with the advice of Her Privy Council, to order, and it is hereby ordered, as follows:—

Title and commencement

1.  This Order may be cited as the Housing Benefit (Payment to Third Parties) (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 and shall come into operation on the expiration of 7 days from the day on which it is made.

Interpretation

2.  The [1954 c. 33 (N.I.).] Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 shall apply to Article 1 and the following provisions of this Order as it applies to a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Payment of housing benefit to third parties

3.—(1) In section 5 of the [1992 c. 8.] Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (regulations about claims for and payments of benefit), after subsection (4) there shall be inserted—

“(5) As it has effect in relation to housing benefit subsection (1)(q) above authorises provision requiring the making of payments of benefit to another person, on behalf of the beneficiary, in such circumstances as may be prescribed.”.

(2) The above amendment shall be deemed always to have had effect; and provision corresponding to that made by the amendment shall be deemed to have had effect at all material times in relation to corresponding earlier enactments.

N. H. Nicholls

Clerk of the Privy Council

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order is made only for purposes corresponding to those of section 120 of the Housing Act 1996.

Article 3 amends section 5 of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 to enable the Department of Health and Social Services to prescribe cases in which the Northern Ireland Housing Executive is required to make payments of housing benefit direct to landlords.