1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation –
(a)for the purposes of this regulation and regulation 21, on 6th April 2003;
(b)for all other purposes, on 6th October 2003.
(2) In these Regulations –
“the Housing Benefit Regulations” means the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987(1);
“the qualifying age for state pension credit” has the meaning assigned to it by section 1(2)(b) and (6) of the State Pension Credit Act;
“the State Pension Credit Act” means the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002.
(3) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(2) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.
(4) In Part 2 reference to any provision inserted in the Housing Benefit Regulations to a regulation of or Schedule to those Regulations is to those provisions as modified or amended by these Regulations.
S.R. 1987 No. 461; relevant amending Rules are S.R. 1988 Nos. 318 and 424, S.R. 1989 Nos. 125, 139 and 260, S.R. 1990 Nos. 136, 137 and 345, S.R. 1991 Nos. 47 and 176, S.R. 1992 Nos. 6, 85, 201, 404 and 549, S.R. 1993 Nos. 145, 149, 195, 233 and 549, S.R. 1994 No. 80, S.R. 1995 No. 367, S.R. 1996 Nos. 11, 115, 334 , 375 and 448, S.R.1997 Nos. 3 and 22, S.R. 1998 No. 81, S.R. 1999 Nos. 381 and 416, S.R. 2000 Nos. 38 and 71, S.R. 2001 Nos. 25, 99, 175, 176 and 215, S.R. 2002 Nos. 99, 132 and 363 and S.R. 2003 Nos. 28 and 80