(This note is not part of the Order)
This is the sixth Commencement Order made under the Welfare Reform Act 2012 (“the Act”).
Article 2 brings into force various provisions of the Act which amend or repeal provisions of existing legislation relating to the social fund and the office of the social fund Commissioner.
The following provisions are brought into force on 1st April 2013, subject to savings provisions in article 3:
section 70(1), and (3) to (10), which provide for the ending of budgeting loans, community care grants and crisis loans;
section 73, which repeals sections 16 to 21 of the Welfare Reform Act 2009(1) (provisions relating to external provider social loans and community care grants), which were never brought into force;
amendments and repeals in Schedule 8 and Part 8 of Schedule 14 insofar as consequential upon these changes;
The following provisions are brought into force on 1st August 2013:
section 70(2), which abolishes the office of the social fund Commissioner;
amendments and repeals in Schedule 8 and Part 8 of Schedule 14 insofar as consequential upon this change.
The repeals commenced on 1st April 2013 by article 2(1) are subject to savings provisions in article 3. These ensure that:
applications for budgeting loans can continue on and after 1st April 2013;
applications for community care grants and crisis loans made before 1st April 2013 can continue to be determined after that date;
the process by which such decisions can be reviewed by an appropriate officer will also continue;
the process by which such decisions can be subject to a further review by a social fund inspector will continue in relation to budgeting loans, community care grants and crisis loans if the application was made before 1st April 2013, and will cease altogether (whether in relation to budgeting loans, community care grants or crisis loans) when the office of the social fund Commissioner ceases to exist on 1st August 2013.
A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on the private sector or civil society organisations.