The Social Security (Treatment of Postgraduate Master’s Degree Loans and Special Support Loans) (Amendment) Regulations 2016

Amendment of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013

6.—(1) The Universal Credit Regulations 2013(1) are amended as follows.

(2) In regulation 68 (person treated as having student income)—

(a) in paragraph (1), after “a student loan” insert “, a postgraduate master’s degree loan”;

(b) in paragraph (2), after “a student loan” insert “or a postgraduate master’s degree loan”;

(c) in paragraph (5)—

(i) after “a student loan” insert “or a postgraduate master’s degree loan”;

(ii) for “such a loan” substitute “a student loan or a postgraduate master’s degree loan”;

(d) in paragraph (7), after the definition of “the long vacation” insert—

““postgraduate master’s degree loan” means a loan which a student is eligible to receive under the Education (Postgraduate Master’s Degree Loans) Regulations 2016;”.

(3) In regulation 69 (calculation of student income-student loans)—

(a) at the end of the heading insert “and postgraduate master’s degree loans”;

(b) after paragraph (1) insert—

“(1A) Where, in accordance with regulation 68(2), a person’s student income is to be based on the amount of a postgraduate master’s degree loan for a year, the amount to be taken into account is 30 per cent. of the maximum postgraduate master’s degree loan that the person would be able to acquire by taking reasonable steps to do so.”;

(c) in paragraph (2), after “paragraph (1)” insert “or the maximum postgraduate master’s degree loan in paragraph (1A)”.

(4) In regulation 71 (calculation of student income - amount for an assessment period), in Step 1—

(a) in paragraph (a) for “if regulation 68(2) applies (person with a student loan)” substitute “in so far as regulation 68(2) applies to a person with a student loan,”;

(b) at the end of paragraph (a) omit “or”;

(c) after paragraph (a) insert—

“(aa) in so far as regulation 68(2) applies to a person with a postgraduate master’s degree loan, 30 per cent. of the amount of the loan in relation to the year of the course in which the assessment period falls; or”;

(d) in paragraph (b), after “student loan” insert “or postgraduate master’s degree loan”.

(5) In regulation 89 (claimants subject to no work-related requirements), after paragraph (3) insert—

“(4) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(e)(ii), a claimant is not to be treated as having student income where—

(a) that income is a postgraduate master’s degree loan; and

(b) the course in respect of which that loan is paid is not a full-time course.

(5) In paragraph (4), “postgraduate master’s degree loan” has the meaning given in regulation 68(7).”.

(1)

S.I. 2013/376. Relevant amending instrument is S.I.2013/630.