The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Severe Disability Premium

15.—(1) In the case of a single claimant, a lone parent or a claimant who is treated as having no partner in consequence of sub-paragraph (3), the condition is that—

(a) he is in receipt of attendance allowance or the care component of disability living allowance at the highest or middle rate prescribed in accordance with section 72(3) of the Benefits Act;

(b) subject to sub-paragraph (4), there are no non-dependants aged 18 or over normally residing with him or with whom he is normally residing, and

(c) an invalid care allowance under section 70 of the Benefits Act is not in payment to anyone engaged in caring for him.

(2) Where the claimant has a partner, the condition is that—

(a) the claimant is in receipt of attendance allowance or the care component of disability living allowance at the highest or middle rate prescribed in accordance with section 72(3) of the Benefits Act (the “qualifying benefit”);

(b) the partner is also in receipt of a qualifying benefit, or if he is a member of a polygamous marriage, all the partners of that marriage are in receipt of a qualifying benefit;

(c) subject to sub-paragraph (4), there is no non-dependant aged 18 or over normally residing with him or with whom he is normally residing, and

(d) either—

(i) an invalid care allowance under section 70 of the Benefits Act is not in payment to anyone engaged in caring for either member of the couple or all the members of the polygamous marriage, or

(ii) a person is engaged in caring for one member (but not both members) of the couple, or one or more but not all members of the polygamous marriage, and in consequence is in receipt of an invalid care allowance under section 70 of the Benefits Act.

(3) Where the claimant has a partner who does not satisfy the condition in sub-paragraph (2)(b), and that partner is blind or treated as blind within the meaning of paragraph 14(1)(h) and (2), that partner shall be treated for the purposes of sub-paragraph (2) as if he were not a partner of the claimant.

(4) The following persons shall not be regarded as a non-dependant for the purposes of sub-paragraphs (1)(b) and (2)(c)—

(a) a person in receipt of attendance allowance or the care component of disability living allowance at the highest or middle rate prescribed in accordance with section 72(3) of the Benefits Act;

(b) subject to sub-paragraph (6), a person who joins the claimant’s household for the first time in order to care for the claimant or his partner and immediately before so joining the claimant or his partner satisfied the condition in sub-paragraph (1) or, as the case may be, (2), or

(c) a person who is blind or treated as blind within the meaning of paragraph 14(1)(h) and (2).

(5) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (2), a person shall be treated as being in receipt of—

(a) attendance allowance, or the care component of disability living allowance at the highest or middle rate prescribed in accordance with section 72(3) of the Benefits Act if he would, but for his being a patient for a period exceeding 28 days, be so in receipt;

(b) invalid care allowance if he would, but for the person for whom he was caring being a patient in hospital for a period exceeding 28 days, be so in receipt.

(6) Sub-paragraph (4)(b) shall apply only for the first 12 weeks following the date on which the person to whom that provision applies first joins the claimant’s household.

(7) For the purposes of sub-paragraphs (1)(c) and (2)(d), no account shall be taken of an award of invalid care allowance to the extent that payment of such an award is backdated for a period before the date on which the award is made.

(8) A person shall be treated as satisfying this condition if he would have satisfied the condition specified for a severe disability premium in income support in paragraph 13 of Schedule 2 to the Income Support Regulations by virtue only of regulations 4 to 6 of the Income Support (General) (Amendment No. 5) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991(1) (savings provisions in relation to severe disability premium) and for the purposes of determining whether in the particular case regulation 4 of those regulations had ceased to apply in accordance with regulation 5(2)(a) of those regulations, a person who is entitled to an income-based jobseeker’s allowance shall be treated as entitled to income support.

(1)

S.R. 1991 No. 474; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1991 No. 520