These Regulations 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 (“the income-related benefits Regulations”) in so far as they relate to students and sums to be disregarded in the calculation of their entitlement to benefit under the income-related benefits Regulations.

Regulation 1 comes into operation on 1st August 2004. In respect of a person whose period of study begins on or after 1st August 2004 but before 1st September 2004 regulations 2 to 7 come into operation on the day the period of study begins. In all other cases regulations 2 to 7 come into operation on 1st September 2004.

The income-related benefits Regulations are amended to increase the amounts of grant and loan income to be disregarded in respect of travel costs and the cost of books and equipment (regulation 2).

Regulation 3 amends the income-related benefits Regulations to disregard payments made to any student as part of his grant income in respect of child care costs of a child dependant.

Regulations 4 to 6 amend the income-related benefits Regulations to disregard from the calculation of income or capital certain payments made under certain legislation to a person taking part in secondary or further education.

The definitions of “course of advanced education” in the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 and the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 are amended in order to update the references there to certain Scottish educational qualifications (regulations 5 and 6).

Regulation 7 amends regulation 50 of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 to enable certain students to be eligible for housing benefit in respect of accommodation which they rent from their educational establishment.

In so far as these Regulations are required, for the purposes of regulations 2(1), (2) and (3)(a), 3(1), (4) and (5)(a), 4 and 7 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.