Claims for family credit treated as made on 11th April 1988U.K.

3.—(1) A written claim for family credit which is delivered or sent to an appropriate office on or after 1st March 1988 and received on or before 11th April 1988 shall be treated as made on 11th April 1988.

(2) Where family income supplement is payable to a person under an award for a period which includes 5th April 1988 and does not exceed 51 weeks it shall not be a condition of entitlement to family credit for a period beginning 11th April 1988 that the person makes a claim for such benefit and a claim, in such a case, for family credit shall be treated as made on 11th April 1988.

(3) Where a claim for family income supplement is made on or after 1st March 1988 but on or before 5th April 1988, but no award of that benefit is made, that claim shall, if the Secretary of State in his discretion so determines, be treated as including a claim for family credit made on 11th April 1988.

(4) Where, after 5th April 1988, a claim is made for family income supplement which is neither a renewal claim nor a claim in respect of a period before 11th April 1988 it shall be treated as a claim for family credit which shall be treated as made on 11th April 1988 if received at an appropriate office on or before that date but otherwise on the date on which it is received at such an office.

(5) In a case to which paragraph (2), (3) or (4) applies, where the claim for family income supplement was made by a married or unmarried couple, the claim for family credit shall be treated as made by the woman except that the claim shall be treated as made by the man if the Secretary of State is satisfied, in that case, that it would be reasonable so to treat it.

(6) A claim which is treated as made on 11th April 1988 by virtue of the provisions of this regulation may nevertheless be determined at any earlier date on which the conditions for treating it as made on 11th April 1988 are satisfied; and any such claim shall be determined in accordance with the Act and Regulations made under that Act as if those provisions were in force.