2001 No. 314

HOUSING; RATES; SOCIAL SECURITY

The Social Security (Personal Allowances for Children and Young Persons Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

Made3rd September 2001

Coming into operation22nd October 2001

The Department for Social Development, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by sections 122(1)(a) and (d), 131(1) and 171(1) to (3) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 19921 and Article 6(5) of the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 19952 and now vested in it3, and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, with the consent of the Department of Finance and Personnel4 in so far as regulation 2(1) and (2)(a) is concerned, and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of that regulation should not be referred to it5, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation1.

(1)

These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Personal Allowances for Children and Young Persons Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 and shall, subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), come into operation on 22nd October 2001.

(2)

Regulation 2 shall, in relation to a claimant for income support, have effect from the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that claimant on or after 22nd October 2001 and in this paragraph “benefit week”6 and “claimant” shall have the same meaning as in regulation 2(1) of the Income Support Regulations.

(3)

Regulation 2 shall, in relation to a claimant for a jobseeker’s allowance, have effect from the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that claimant on or after 22nd October 2001 and in this paragraph “benefit week”7 shall have the same meaning as in regulation 1(2) of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations.

(4)

In these Regulations—

“the Income Support Regulations” means the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19878;

“the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations” means the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19969.

(5)

The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 195410 shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

Housing benefit, income support and jobseeker’s allowance: personal allowances in respect of children and young persons2.

(1)

In column (2) of the table in each of the provisions specified in paragraph (2) (which specify the personal allowances to be applied in respect of children or young persons when calculating applicable amounts)—

(a)

in entry (a), for “£31·45” there shall be substituted “£32·95”;

(b)

in entry (b), for “£32·25” there shall be substituted “£33·75”.

(2)

The provisions specified for the purposes of paragraph (1) are—

F1(a)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(b)

paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 2 (applicable amounts) to the Income Support Regulations;

(c)

paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 1 (applicable amounts) to the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 3rd September 2001.

John O'Neill

Senior Officer of the

Department for Social Development

The Department of Finance and Personnel hereby consents to regulations 2(1) and (2)(a) of the foregoing Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 4th September 2001.

William Pauley

Senior Officer of the

Department of Finance and Personnel

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations further amend the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 and the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996.

In particular, regulation 2 increases by £1·50 from 22nd October 2001, the amounts of the weekly personal allowance applicable in respect of children and young persons in housing benefit, income support and jobseeker’s allowance.

In so far as these Regulations are required, for the purposes of regulations 2(1) and (2)(a), to be referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee under section 149(2) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, (“the 1992 Act”), after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee, they have not been so referred by virtue of section 150(1)(b) of that Act. Otherwise they 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 1992 Act, are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.

These Regulations do not impose any charge on business.