The Social Security Amendment (Personal Allowances for Children and Young Persons) Regulations 1999

Statutory Instruments

1999 No. 2555

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Social Security Amendment (Personal Allowances for Children and Young Persons) Regulations 1999

Made

13th September 1999

Laid before Parliament

13th September 1999

Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1

The Secretary of State for Social Security, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 123(1)(a), (d) and (e), 135(1), 137(1) and 175(1), (3) and (4) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992(1) and sections 4(5), 35(1) and 36(1), (2) and (4) of the Jobseekers Act 1995(2) and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, after consultation in respect of provisions in these Regulations relating to housing benefit and council tax benefit, with organisations appearing to him to be representative of the authorities concerned(3) and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it(4), hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security Amendment (Personal Allowances for Children and Young Persons) Regulations 1999 and both this regulation and regulation 2(2) shall come into force on 4th October 1999.

(2) Regulation 2(1)(a) shall, subject to paragraphs (3) and (5) below, come into force on 4th October 1999.

(3) In so far as regulation 2(1)(a) amends the Income Support Regulations then, in the case of a claimant whose benefit week does not commence on 4th October 1999, that regulation shall have effect from the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that claimant after that date.

(4) In paragraph (3) above, “the Income Support Regulations” means the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987(5) and “claimant” and “benefit week” shall have the same meanings as in regulation 2(1) of those Regulations(6).

(5) In so far as regulation 2(1)(a) amends the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations then, in the case of a claimant whose benefit week does not commence on 4th October 1999, that regulation shall have effect from the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that claimant after that date.

(6) In paragraph (5) above, “the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations” means the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996(7) and “benefit week ” shall have the same meaning as in regulation 1(3) of those Regulations(8).

(7) Regulation 2(1)(b) in so far as it amends provisions relating to–

(a) income support and jobseeker’s allowance, shall come into force on 10th April 2000;

(b) council tax benefit, shall come into force on 1st April 2000;

(c) housing benefit–

(i) in any case where rent is payable at intervals of one month or any other interval which is not a week or a multiple thereof, shall come into force on 1st April 2000;

(ii) in any other case, shall come into force on 3rd April 2000.

(8) In this regulation, a reference to a numbered regulation is to the regulation in these Regulations bearing that number.

Income support, jobseeker’s allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit: personal allowances in respect of children and young persons

2.—(1) In each of the provisions specified in paragraph (2) below (which specify the personal allowances to be applied in respect of children and young persons when calculating applicable amounts)–

(a) in column (2) of the table, in entry (a), for the sum “£20.20 ” there shall be substituted the sum “£24.90”;

(b) for columns (1) and (2) of the table there shall be substituted the following columns–

“Person in respect of the period– (a) beginning on that person’s date of birth and ending on the day preceding the first Monday in September following that person’s sixteenth birthday;	(a) £25.90
(b) beginning on the first Monday in September following that person’s sixteenth birthday and ending on the day preceding that person’s nineteenth birthday.	(b) £30.95.”.

2.—(2) The provisions specified for the purposes of paragraph (1) above are–

(a) paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 1 to the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992(9);

(b) paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 2 to the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987(10);

(c) paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 2 to the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987(11);

(d) paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 1 to the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996(12).

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

Angela Eagle

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,

Department of Social Security

13th September 1999

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 (S.I. 1987/1967), the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/207), the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (S.I. 1987/1971) and the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/1814).

In particular, regulation 2 of these Regulations increases by £4.70 from October 1999, the amount of the weekly personal allowance which is applicable in respect of children before the first Monday in the September following their eleventh birthday in income support, jobseeker’s allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit and, from April 2000 applies the rate for 11 to 16 year olds to all children below 16.

These Regulations do not impose a charge on business.

(1)

1992 c. 4; sections 123(1) and 137(1) were amended to have effect with respect to council tax benefit by Schedule 9 to the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (c. 14), paragraphs 1(1) and 9; section 137(1) is an interpretation provision and is cited because of the meaning ascribed to the word “prescribed ”.

(2)

1995 c. 18; section 35(1) is an interpretation provision and is cited because of the meaning ascribed to the words “prescribed” and “ regulations”.

(3)

See section 176(1) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c. 5).

(4)

See sections 170 and 173(1)(b) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c. 5); paragraph 67 of Schedule 2 to the Jobseekers Act 1995 (c. 18) added that Act to the list of “relevant enactments” in respect of which regulations must normally be referred to the Committee. Section 173(7) defines “regulations”.

(5)

S.I. 1987/1967.

(6)

The definition of “benefit week” was amended by S.I. 1988/1445.

(7)

S.I. 1996/207.

(8)

The definition of “benefit week” was amended by S.I. 1996/1517 and 2538.

(9)

S.I. 1992/1814; the relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1996/2545 and 1999/264.

(10)

S.I. 1987/1971; the relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1996/2545 and 1999/264.

(11)

The relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1996/2545 and 1999/264.

(12)

The relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1996/2545 and 1999/264.