(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend the Housing Benefit (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001, the Housing Benefit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 (“the Housing Benefit Regulations”) and the Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006.
Regulation 2 amends the Housing Benefit (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 to allow for a supersession of a housing benefit award when a claimant who was receiving disability living allowance transfers onto personal independence payment. The effective date of such a change will be the first day after entitlement to disability living allowance ends except where the change occurs in same weeks as the 1st April or the first full week in April. In those cases the change will align with other changes to housing benefit and take effect on 1st April or the first Monday of April, respectively, depending on the frequency of the claimant’s rental liability.
Regulation 3 amends the Housing Benefit Regulations to update references to the “social security contributions” of self-employed earners to “national insurance contributions” it also corrects a reference to “determination” so that it refers to a “decision”.
Regulation 4 makes similar amendments to the Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 2006.
An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sector is foreseen.