2003 No. 1195

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Social Security (Hospital In-Patients and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2003

Made

Laid before Parliament

Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 52(4) and 54 of, and paragraph 5(a) of Schedule 1 to, the Child Support Act 1991 F1, sections 123(1)(a), (d) and (e), 130(4), 131(10), 135(1), 137(1) and 175(1), (3) and (4) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 F2, sections 73(1)(b) and 189(1), (4) and (5) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 F3, sections 4(5) and 36(1), (2) and (4)(a) of the Jobseekers Act 1995 F4 and sections 2(3) and (6), 13(1), 17(1) and 19(1) of the State Pension Credit Act 2002 F5, and 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 F6, and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that the proposals to make these Regulations should not be referred to it F7, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Annotations:
Amendments (Textual)
F1

1991 c. 48; section 54 is cited for the meaning ascribed to the word “prescribed”; Schedule 1 was substituted by section 1 of the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 (c. 19).

F2

1992 c. 4; section 123(1)(e) and section 131 were substituted by the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (c. 14), Schedule 9, paragraphs 1(1) and 4 respectively; section 137(1) is an interpretation provision and is cited because of the meaning ascribed to the word “prescribed”.

F5

2002 c. 16; section 17(1) is an interpretation provision and is cited because of the meaning ascribed to the word “prescribed”.

F6

See the Social Security Administration Act 1992, section 176(1)(a) which was amended by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, Schedule 9, paragraph 23.

F7

See the Social Security Administration Act 1992, section 173(1)(b).

Citation and commencement1

These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Hospital In-Patients and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2003 and shall come into force for the purposes of—

a

this regulation and regulations 7 to 10, on 21st May 2003;

b

regulation 2—

i

in so far as it relates to a particular beneficiary other than a beneficiary in receipt of incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance, on 21st May 2003 if it is his appropriate pay day or, if not, on his appropriate pay day next following 21st May 2003, and for the purposes of this sub-paragraph “appropriate pay day” shall be construed in accordance with regulation 22(3) of, and Schedule 6 to, the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987 F8; and

ii

in so far as it relates to a particular beneficiary in receipt of incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance, on 21st May 2003;

c

regulation 3, in so far as it relates to a beneficiary paid in advance, on the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that beneficiary on or after 21st May 2003, but otherwise on the first day of the benefit week which includes that date, and for the purpose of this paragraph “benefit week” has the same meaning as in the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 F9;

F13d

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F13e

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f

regulation 6, in so far as it relates to a beneficiary paid in advance, on the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that beneficiary on or after 21st May 2003, but otherwise on the first day of the benefit week which includes that date, and for the purpose of this paragraph “benefit week” has the same meaning as in the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 F10

Amendment of the Social Security (Hospital In-Patients) Regulations 1975F172

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Amendment of the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987F173

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Amendment of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987F17F144

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Amendment of Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992F17F155

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Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996F17F176

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Amendment of the Child Support (Maintenance Calculations and Special Cases) Regulations 20007

In the Child Support (Maintenance Calculations and Special Cases) Regulations 2000 F11, in regulation 5 (nil rate)—

a

in paragraph (g)—

i

for “1(a) or (b)” substitute “ 1(b) or 2 ”; and

ii

for “6” substitute “ 52 ”;

b

in paragraph (gg) F12—

i

after “Regulations” insert “ 2002 ”; and

ii

for “at least 13 but not exceeding” substitute “ more than ”; and

c

in paragraph (h) for “4(d)” substitute “ 4 ”.

Annotations:
Amendments (Textual)
F11

S.I. 2001/155; these regulations come into force in relation to a particular case on the day on which Part I of Schedule 1 to the Child Support Act 1991 as amended by the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 comes into force in relation to that type of case.

F12

Paragraph (gg) was inserted by S.I. 2002/3019.

Amendment of the State Pension Credit Regulations 2002F188

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Amendment of the State Pension Credit (Consequential, Transitional and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2002F189

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Amendment of the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations 2003F18F1610

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Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Malcolm WicksParliamentary Under-Secretary of State,Department for Work and Pensions

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Social Security (Hospital In-Patients) Regulations 1975 in respect of specified benefits and other regulations in respect of income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit, jobseeker’s allowance, state pension credit and child support maintenance calculations.

Regulations 2(3) and (5) provide that a beneficiary’s weekly rate of specified benefits will not be adjusted after he has received 6 weeks of free in-patient treatment but only after he has received 52 weeks of such in-patient treatment. Regulations 3(5)(a), 4(2) and (3), 5(2) and (3) and 8(3) make similar provision in respect of income support, housing benefit, council tax benefit and state pension credit respectively. Provision is made in regulation 2(8) and in other regulations, in particular regulation 6(5)(a) in respect of income-based jobseeker’s allowances, for the amount of dependency benefit to be adjusted after a dependant of a beneficiary has received 52 weeks of free in-patient treatment.

Regulation 2(9) stops the downrating of specified benefits immediately a person enters hospital to receive free in-patient treatment after living in prescribed residential accommodation provided and managed by a local authority. Regulations 3(5)(b) and 6(5)(b) make similar provision in respect of income support and income-based jobseeker’s allowance.

Regulations 3(2) and (5)(c) and 6(2) specify the period as a hospital in-patient which is to be regarded as a temporary absence from a specified care home.

Regulations 3(4), 6(4), 4(4), 5(4), and 8(2) provide that, to calculate the applicable amount for the purposes of a beneficiary’s income support or income-based jobseeker’s allowance, the maximum amount of his housing benefit or council tax benefit or the housing costs element of his state pension credit respectively, no deduction will be made for a non-dependant receiving free in-patient treatment when the treatment has continued for over 52 weeks.

Regulation 7 provides for child support maintenance to be payable at a nil rate after a non-resident parent in receipt of income support or state pension credit has received 52 weeks of free in-patient treatment.

Regulations 9 and 10 remove provisions which are rendered superfluous by the previous amendments.

These Regulations do not impose a charge on business.