2004 No. 366
SOCIAL SECURITY

The Income Support (General) (Standard Interest Rate Amendment No. 3) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

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), (3) and (4) 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 No. 3) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 and shall come into operation on 19th September 2004.

(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 26th September 2004, or

(ii)

if the claim for income support is for a period commencing after 26th September 2004, from the first day of the first benefit week commencing after 19th September 2004;

(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 26th September 2004.

(3)

In these Regulations –

(a)

“the Decisions and Appeals Regulations” means the Social Security and Child Support (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19994;

(b)

“the Income Support Regulations” means the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 19875, and

(c)

the expressions “claimant” and “benefit week” have the same meanings as in regulation 2(1) of the Income Support Regulations6 (interpretation).

(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 “5.59 per cent.” there shall be substituted “5.88 per cent.”.

Revocation and saving3.

The Income Support (General) (Standard Interest Rate Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 20049 are hereby revoked save that those Regulations shall continue to have effect in relation to any particular claimant until these Regulations have effect in relation to that claimant.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 26th August 2004.

Philip Angus
A 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 increased from 5.59 per cent. to 5.88 per cent. (regulation 2). These Regulations also revoke, with a saving provision, the Income Support (General) (Standard Interest Rate Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 which made the 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.