2003 No. 455
SOCIAL SECURITY

The Income Support (General) (Standard Interest Rate Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

Made
Coming into operation
The Department for Social Development, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 122(1)(a), 131(1) and 171(1) and (3) to (5) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 19921, and now vested in it2, and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation1.

(1)

These Regulations may be cited as the Income Support (General) (Standard Interest Rate Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 16th November 2003.

(2)

These Regulations shall have effect in relation to any particular claimant –

(a)

in a case where income support is paid to the claimant in arrears, in accordance with paragraph 1(a) of Schedule 2A to the Decisions and Appeals Regulations3 (date on which change of circumstances takes effect in certain cases where a claimant is in receipt of income support) –

(i)

from the first day of the benefit week which includes 23rd November 2003, or

(ii)

if the claim for income support is for a period commencing after 23rd November 2003, from the first day of the first benefit week commencing after 16th November 2003;

(b)

in a case where income support is paid to the claimant in advance, in accordance with paragraph 1(b) of Schedule 2A to the Decisions and Appeals Regulations, from the first day of the first benefit week commencing after 23rd November 2003,

and for this purpose, the expressions “claimant” and “benefit week” have the same meanings as in regulation 2(1) of the Income Support Regulations4 (interpretation).

(3)

In these Regulations –

“the Decisions and Appeals Regulations” means the Social Security and Child Support (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19995;
“the Income Support Regulations” means the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19876.

(4)

The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 19547 shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

Amendment of Schedule 3 to the Income Support Regulations2.

In Schedule 3 to the Income Support Regulations8 (housing costs), in paragraph 12(1)(a) (standard rate of interest on qualifying loans) for “5.34 per cent.” there shall be substituted “5.07 per cent.”.

Revocation3.

The Income Support (General) (Standard Interest Rate Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 20029 are hereby revoked save that those Regulations shall continue to have effect until the day before the first day of the benefit week having effect in relation to any particular claimant for the purpose of regulation 1(2) of these Regulations.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 21st October 2003.

John O'Neill
Senior Officer of the
Department for Social Development
(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend Schedule 3 to the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, as substituted and amended, with respect to the standard rate of interest applicable to a loan which qualifies for income support under that Schedule to those Regulations. The rate is decreased from 5.34 per cent. to 5.07 per cent. (regulation 2). The Regulations also revoke, with a saving provision, the Income Support (General) (Standard Interest Rate Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 which made a previous amendment to the standard rate of interest (regulation 3).

These Regulations 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 Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8), 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 a charge on business.