There are currently no known outstanding effects for The Emergency Fuel Payment (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025.
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend the Emergency Fuel Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025 (S.R. 2025 No. 23) (“the 2025 Regulations”) to correct an error in those Regulations.
Paragraph 2(2) of Schedule 1 to the 2025 Regulations provides that to be eligible for an Emergency Fuel Payment a person must be (a) ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland and (b) is someone not entitled to a Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment. Similarly, paragraph 2(3) outlines the eligibility criteria for persons habitually resident in any of the countries listed in Schedule 2 to the 2025 Regulations.
It was the Department’s intention to include provision in paragraph 2(3) which mirrors that found in paragraph 2(2)(b). Amongst other criteria, eligibility for the Emergency Fuel Payment depends on whether or not a person is entitled to a Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment. Anyone eligible for a Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment should be ineligible for an Emergency Fuel Payment. The provision intended to replicate paragraph 2(2)(b) within sub-paragraph (3) was erroneously omitted during the drafting process. Paragraph 2(3) of Schedule 1 to the 2025 Regulations is therefore amended to correct the error and insert the appropriate provision.
The Department’s intention was that the Emergency Fuel Payment Scheme be restricted to eligible claimants who can show a genuine and sufficient link to Northern Ireland. Accordingly, paragraph 2(3)(c) of Schedule 1 to the 2025 Regulations is amended to substitute “United Kingdom” with “Northern Ireland”, with the caveat that a Northern Ireland postal address, as determined by official government pension records, is required.
The Emergency Fuel Payment Scheme, which may also be referred to as the Pension Age Fuel Support Payment for Northern Ireland, applies to Northern Ireland only.
A regulatory impact assessment has not been produced for the Regulations as they have no impact on the costs of business.
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