(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations are designed to prevent imprisonment of debtors in relation to non-payment of court fines and provide a manageable way to pay court fines through deductions from benefits.
Regulation 3 provides for deductions to be made from universal credit where a fine has been imposed upon a person (the debtor) by a court to meet the sums due in respect of such fines.
Regulation 4 provides for deductions to be made one application at a time, establishes the circumstances in which deductions should cease and that the payment of deduction shall be made at intervals of 13 weeks by the Department for Communities to the court.
Regulation 5 makes supplemental amendments to the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseekers Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 to include these fines in the priority order of debt.
Provisions for appeal can be found in section 14(6) of the Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.