1995 No. 511
SOCIAL SECURITY

The Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 1995

Made
Laid before Parliament
Coming into force
The Secretary of State for Social Security, in exercise of powers conferred upon him by sections 123(1)(d) and (e), 136(1) and (3) to (5), 137(1), 175(1) and (3) to (6) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 19921 and sections 5(1)(e), 6(1)(e), 63(3), 75(1) and 76(1) of the Social Security Administration Act 19922 and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, after consultation with organisations appearing to him to be representative of the authorities concerned3, and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it4, hereby makes the following Regulations:–

Citation, commencement and interpretation1.

(1)

These Regulations may be cited as the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 1995 and shall come into force on 6th March 1995.

(2)

In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires–

“the Council Tax Benefit Regulations” means the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 19925;
“the Housing Benefit Regulations” means the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 19876.

Amendment of regulation 68 of the Housing Benefit Regulations2.

Regulation 68 of the Housing Benefit Regulations (date on which change of circumstances is to take effect) shall be amended as follows–

(a)

in paragraph (1), for the words “to (6)” there shall be substituted the words “to (7)”, and

(b)

after paragraph (6)7 there shall be inserted the following new paragraph–

“(7)

Without prejudice to paragraph (6), where the change of circumstances is the payment of income, or arrears of income, in respect of a past period, the change of circumstances shall take effect from the first day on which such income, had it been timeously paid in that period at intervals appropriate to that income, would have fallen to be taken into account for the purposes of these Regulations.”.

Amendment of regulation 59 of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations3.

Regulation 59 of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations (date on which change of circumstances is to take effect) shall be amended as follows–

(a)

in paragraph (1), for the words “to (8)” there shall be substituted the words “to (9)”, and

(b)

after paragraph (8)8 there shall be inserted the following new paragraph–

“(9)

Without prejudice to paragraph (8), where the change of circumstances is the payment of income, or arrears of income, in respect of a past period, the change of circumstances shall take effect from the first day on which such income, had it been timeously paid in that period at intervals appropriate to that income, would have fallen to be taken into account for the purposes of these Regulations.”.

Transitional4.

Where a change of circumstances occurs as a result of the payment of arrears of any income (and for the avoidance of doubt income includes any benefit within the meaning of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 19929) which affects a determination or decision in respect of entitlement to, or the amount of, housing benefit or council tax benefit before 6th March 1995, regulations 2 and 3 shall, in so far as they relate to arrears of income paid in respect of a period before that date, be treated as if they had not been made.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Social Security.

Roger Evans
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,
Department of Social Security
(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987 (S.I. 1987/1971) and the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/1814).

These Regulations further amend the provisions relating to the date on which change of circumstances is to take effect in respect of income received in arrears; and make transitional provision (regulations 2 to 4).

These Regulations do not impose a charge on business.