(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend Part II of the Housing Renewal Grants Regulations 1996 (“the principal Regulations”), which sets out a means test for determining the amount of renovation grant and disabled facilities grant which may be paid by local authorities to owner-occupier and tenant applicants under Chapter I of Part I of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996.
The amendments reflect changes in housing benefit regulations, upon which the means test is based, and make minor and drafting changes.
Regulations 3 to 15 contain the amendments. In particular:
regulation 5 uprates the multipliers in regulation 12 of the principal Regulations (reduction in amount of grant);
regulation 6 provides for certain payments made to providers under the New Deal for unemployed persons (“New Deal”) to be excluded from a person’s notional income;
regulations 7, 8, 9 and 15 amend provisions in Chapter IX of Part II of, and Schedule 4 to, the principal Regulations (capital): regulation 7 provides that certain receipts of any commercial activity carried on by a New Deal participant shall be treated as a person’s capital, regulation 8 provides that rehabilitation allowances and payments made to providers under the New Deal shall be excluded from a person’s notional capital, and regulation 15 provides for certain payments made to New Deal participants to be disregarded for the purposes of calculating a person’s capital;
regulations 10, 11 and 12 amend provisions in Chapter X of Part II of the principal Regulations (students) with respect to the assessment of a student’s income;
regulation 13 uprates the applicable amounts and premiums in Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations;
regulation 14 provides for the following to be disregarded in the calculation of a person’s income other than earnings–
certain payments made pursuant to the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and the National Assistance Act 1948;
payments received under certain insurance policies taken out to insure against the risk of being unable to maintain repayments on certain loans or under a hire-purchase or similar agreement; and
certain payments made to New Deal participants.
Regulation 16 contains transitional provisions.