Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992

175 Regulations, orders and schemes. E+W+S

(1) Subject to [F1 subsection (1A) below], regulations and orders under this Act shall be made by the Secretary of State.

[F2 (1A) Subsection (1) above has effect subject to—

(a) any provision F3 ... providing for regulations or an order to be made by the Treasury or by the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, F4 ...

F4 (b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]

(2) Powers under this Act to make regulations, orders or schemes shall be exercisable by statutory instrument.

(3) Except in the case of an order under section 145(3) above and in so far as this Act otherwise provides, any power under this Act to make regulations or an order may be exercised—

(a) either in relation to all cases to which the power extends, or in relation to those cases subject to specified exceptions, or in relation to any specified cases or classes of case;

(b) so as to make, as respects the cases in relation to which it is exercised—

(i) the full provision to which the power extends or any less provision (whether by way of exception or otherwise),

(ii) the same provision for all cases in relation to which the power is exercised, or different provision for different cases or different classes of case or different provision as respects the same case or class of case for different purposes of this Act,

(iii) any such provision either unconditionally or subject to any specified condition;

and where such a power is expressed to be exercisable for alternative purposes it may be exercised in relation to the same case for any or all of those purposes; and powers to make regulations or an order for the purposes of any one provision of this Act are without prejudice to powers to make regulations or an order for the purposes of any other provision.

(4) Without prejudice to any specific provision in this Act, any power conferred by this Act to make regulations or an order (other than the power conferred in section 145(3) above) includes power to make thereby such incidental, supplementary, consequential or transitional provision as appears to the [F5 person making the regulations or order] to be expedient for the purposes of the regulations or order.

(5) Without prejudice to any specific provisions in this Act, a power conferred by any provision of this Act except—

(a) sections 30, 47(6), [F6 25B(2)(a)] and 145(3) above and paragraph 3(9) of Schedule 7 to this Act;

(b) section 122(1) above in relation to the definition of “payments by way of occupational or personal pension”; and

(c) Part XI,

to make regulations or an order includes power to provide for a person to exercise a discretion in dealing with any matter.

(6) [F7 Any power conferred by this Act to make orders or regulations relating to housing benefit or [F8 council tax benefit] shall include power to make different provisions for different areas.]

(7) Any power of the Secretary of State under any provision of this Act, except the provisions mentioned in subsection (5)(a) and (b) above and Part IX, to make any regulations or order, where the power is not expressed to be exercisable with the consent of the Treasury, shall if the Treasury so direct be exercisable only in conjunction with them.

(8) Any power under any of sections 116 to 120 above to modify provisions of this Act or the Administration Act extends also to modifying so much of any other provision of this Act or that Act as re-enacts provisions of the 1975 Act which replaced provisions of the National Insurance (Industrial Injuries) Acts 1965 to 1974.

(9) A power to make regulations under any of sections 116 to 120 above shall be exercisable in relation to any enactment passed after this Act which is directed to be construed as one with this Act; but this subsection applies only so far as a contrary intention is not expressed in the enactment so passed, and is without prejudice to the generality of any such direction.

(10) Any reference in this section or section 176 below to an order or regulations under this Act includes a reference to an order or regulations made under any provision of an enactment passed after this Act and directed to be construed as one with this Act; but this subsection applies only so far as a contrary intention is not expressed in the enactment so passed, and without prejudice to the generality of any such direction.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 175(1) substituted (1.4.1999) by Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 (c. 2), s. 28(3), Sch. 3 para. 29(2); S.I. 1999/527, art. 2(b), Sch. 2 (with arts. 3-6)

F2 S. 175(1A) inserted (1.4.1999) by Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 (c. 2), s. 28(3), Sch. 3 para. 29(3); S.I. 1999/527, art. 2(b), Sch. 2 (with arts. 3-6)

F3 Words in s. 175(1A)(a) repealed (1.4.2003) by Tax Credits Act 2002 (c. 21), s. 61, Sch. 6; S.I. 2003/392, art. 2

F4 S. 175(1A)(b) and preceding word repealed (1.4.2003) by Tax Credits Act 2002 (c. 21), s. 61, Sch. 6; S.I. 2003/392, art. 2

F5 Words in s. 175(4) substituted (1.4.1999) by Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 (c. 2), s. 28(3), Sch. 3 para. 29(4); S.I. 1999/527, art. 2(b), Sch. 2 (with arts. 3-6)

F6 Word in s. 175(5) substituted (13.4.1995) by Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Act 1994 (c. 18), s. 16(3), Sch. 1 para. 36; S.I. 1994/2926, art. 2(4), Sch. Pt. 4

F7 S. 175(6) repealed (1.4.2013 in so far as relates to council tax benefit) by Welfare Reform Act 2012 (c. 5), s. 150(3), Sch. 14 Pt. 1; S.I. 2013/358, art. 8(c), Sch. 4 (with arts. 9, 10, Sch. 5)

F8 Words in s. 175(6) substituted (6.3.1992) by Local Government Finance Act 1992 (c. 14), s. 103, Sch. 9 para. 10 (with s. 118(1)(2)(4))

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 175(3)-(5) applied (with modifications) (6.4.2014) by National Insurance Contributions Act 2014 (c. 7), ss. 5(2)(3), 8

C2 S. 175(3)-(5) applied (12.2.2015) by National Insurance Contributions Act 2015 (c. 5), s. 3(4)

C3 S. 175(3)-(5) applied by National Insurance Contributions Act 2014 (c. 7), s. 10A(8) (as inserted (15.9.2016 with effect in accordance with s. 157(30) af the amending Act) by Finance Act 2016 (c. 24), s. 157(17))

C4 S. 175(3)-(5) applied (15.3.2022) by National Insurance Contributions Act 2022 (c. 9), s. 12(4)

C5 S. 175(3)(4) applied (31.3.2022) by National Insurance Contributions (Increase of Thresholds) Act 2022 (c. 16), s. 5(2)

C6 S. 175(3)(4) applied (18.12.2023) by National Insurance Contributions (Reduction in Rates) Act 2023 (c. 57), Sch. para. 5(3)