The Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2017

Scottish Statutory Instruments

2017 No. 41

Council Tax

The Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2017

Made

21st February 2017

Laid before the Scottish Parliament

23rd February 2017

Coming into force

1st April 2017

The Scottish Ministers make the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 80 and 113(1) and (2) and paragraph 1 of schedule 2 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992(1) and all other powers enabling them to do so.

PART 1SGeneral

Citation and commencementS

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2017 and come into force on 1st April 2017.

Commencement Information

I1Reg. 1 in force at 1.4.2017, see reg. 1

F1PART 2SAmendment of the Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Regulations 2012

GeneralS

F12.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of regulation 2S

F13.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of regulation 23S

F14.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of regulation 41S

F15.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of regulation 45S

F16.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of regulation 48S

F17.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of regulation 67S

F18.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of regulation 86S

F19.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of schedule 1S

F110.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of schedule 2S

F111.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of schedule 4S

F112.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Amendment of schedule 5S

F113.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PART 3SAmendment of the Council Tax Reduction (State Pension Credit) (Scotland) Regulations 2012

GeneralS

14.  The Council Tax Reduction (State Pension Credit) (Scotland) Regulations 2012(2) are amended as follows.

Commencement Information

I2Reg. 14 in force at 1.4.2017, see reg. 1

Amendment of regulation 2S

15.  In regulation 2 (interpretation), in paragraph (1) after the definition of “independent hospital” insert—

“infected blood payment scheme” means a scheme established by, or under arrangements made with, the Scottish Ministers, the Secretary of State, the Welsh Ministers or the Department of Health in Northern Ireland for making ex gratia payments to or in respect of persons who have acquired HIV or hepatitis C as a result of treatment with blood or blood products within the national health service;.

Commencement Information

I3Reg. 15 in force at 1.4.2017, see reg. 1

Amendment of regulation 48S

16.  In regulation 48 (non-dependant deductions)—

(a)in paragraph (1)—

(i)in sub-paragraph (a), for “£11.80” substitute “£11.90”; and

(ii)in sub-paragraph (b), for “£3.90” substitute “£3.95”;

(b)in paragraph (2)—

(i)in sub-paragraph (a), for “£195.00” substitute “£200.00”; and

(ii)for sub-paragraphs (b) and (c), substitute—

(b)not less than £200.00 but less than £346.00, the deduction to be made is £7.85 x 1/7; and

(c)not less than £346.00 but less than £430.00, the deduction to be made is £9.95 x 1/7.; and

(c)in paragraph (9)(b), after “Foundation,” insert “another infected blood payment scheme,”.

Commencement Information

I4Reg. 16 in force at 1.4.2017, see reg. 1

Amendment of regulation 66S

17.  In regulation 66 (evidence and information), in paragraph (3)(a) after “Foundation” insert “, another infected blood payment scheme”.

Commencement Information

I5Reg. 17 in force at 1.4.2017, see reg. 1

Amendment of schedule 1S

18.  In schedule 1 (applicable amount)—

(a)in paragraph 2 (personal allowances)—

(i)for “£155.60”, substitute “£159.35”;

(ii)for “£168.70”, substitute “£172.55”;

(iii)for “£237.55” in both places where it occurs, substitute “£243.25”;

(iv)for “£252.30” in both places where it occurs, substitute “£258.15”;

(v)for “£81.95”, substitute “£83.90”; and

(vi)for “£83.60”, substitute “£85.60”; and

(b)in paragraph 13 (amount of disability premium)—

(i)for “£61.85” in both places where it occurs, substitute “£62.45”;

(ii)for “£123.70”, substitute “£124.90”;

(iii)for “£24.43”, substitute “£24.78”;

(iv)for “£60.06”, substitute “£60.90”; and

(v)for “£34.60”, substitute “£34.95”.

Commencement Information

I6Reg. 18 in force at 1.4.2017, see reg. 1

Amendment of schedule 4S

19.  In schedule 4 (capital disregards), in paragraph 16—

(a)in sub-paragraph (1)(a), after “Foundation” insert “, another infected blood payment scheme”;

(b)in sub-paragraph (7), after “Foundation” insert “, another infected blood payment scheme”; and

(c)in sub-paragraph (8), after “Foundation” insert “, any other infected blood payment scheme”.

Commencement Information

I7Reg. 19 in force at 1.4.2017, see reg. 1

Amendment of schedule 5S

20.  In schedule 5 (amount of alternative maximum council tax reduction)—

(a)in paragraph 1—

(i)for “£191.00” in both places where it occurs, substitute “£196.00”; and

(ii)for “£249.00”, substitute “£255.00”; and

(b)in paragraph 2(b), after “Foundation,” insert “another infected blood payment scheme,”.

Commencement Information

I8Reg. 20 in force at 1.4.2017, see reg. 1

DEREK MACKAY

A member of the Scottish Government

St Andrew’s House,

Edinburgh

21st February 2017

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (“the 2012 Regulations”) in the following respects.

The 2012 Regulations presently make provision in relation to the manner of dealing with payments received by, or in respect of, a person who acquired HIV or hepatitis C as a result of treatment with blood or blood products within the national health service. These Regulations make amendments to reflect that such payments may in future be made out of schemes additional to those specifically listed in the 2012 Regulations (regulations 3, 5 to 7, 8(c), 9, 11(b), 12 and 13).

Regulation 4 adjusts the child premium taken into account in the case of recipients of universal credit.

Regulations 8(a) and (b), 10 and 11(a) uprate figures used to calculate the amount of council tax reduction that an applicant is entitled to receive.

Regulations 15 to 20 amend the Council Tax Reduction (State Pension Credit) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 in the same manner as the 2012 Regulations are amended by regulations 3 and 5 to 13.

(1)

1992 c.14. Section 80 was amended by paragraph 176 of schedule 13 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c.39). There are other amendments to section 80 and section 113(1) that are not relevant to these Regulations. The functions of the Secretary of State were transferred to the Scottish Ministers by virtue of section 53 of the Scotland Act 1998 (c.46).

(2)

S.S.I. 2012/319; relevant amending instruments are S.S.I. 2013/49, S.S.I. 2013/142, S.S.I. 2015/46 and S.S.I. 2016/81.