Welfare Benefits Up-rating Act 2013

1 Up-rating of certain social security benefits for tax years 2014-15 and 2015-16 U.K.

(1) The Secretary of State must, in each of the tax years ending with 5 April 2014 and 5 April 2015, make an order by statutory instrument increasing each of the relevant sums by 1%.

For the meaning of the “relevant sums” see paragraph 1 of the Schedule.

(2) [F1 Subject to subsection (2A),]an order under this section must be framed so as to bring the variations to which it relates into force—

(a) in the week beginning with the first Monday in the tax year following that in which the order is made, or

(b) on an earlier date in April specified in the order;

and the provision that may be made under this subsection includes provision bringing the variation in a particular sum into force on different dates for different purposes.

[F2 (2A) An order under this section shall be framed so that—

(a) any variation of the relevant sums referred to in paragraphs 1(j) to (1) of the Schedule (sums specified under Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012) comes into force in relation to a person on the relevant day; and

(b) any other variation to which the order relates comes into force, for the purposes of determining the amount of universal credit to which a person is entitled, on the relevant day.

(2B) In subsection (2A) “relevant day”, in relation to a person, means the first day of the first universal credit assessment period in respect of the person which begins on or after—

(a) the Monday of the week specified in subsection (2)(a), or

(b) any earlier date specified under subsection (2)(b).

(2C) In subsection (2B) “universal credit assessment period” means an assessment period for the purposes of Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012.]

(3) The Secretary of State may, in providing for an increase under subsection (1), adjust the amount of the increase so as to round any sum up or down to the extent the Secretary of State thinks appropriate.

(4) After making an order under this section, the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a copy of a report by the Government Actuary or the Deputy Government Actuary giving that Actuary's opinion on the likely effect on the National Insurance Fund of the parts of the order that relate to sums payable out of the Fund.

(5) Subsection (1) does not apply in relation to a tax year if, on the review in that tax year under section 150(1) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992, the Secretary of State determines that the general level of prices in Great Britain has not increased, or has increased by less than 1%, over the period under review.

(6) Where subsection (1) applies in relation to a tax year, the draft of any up-rating order laid before Parliament by virtue of the review in that tax year under section 150(1) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 must not include provision increasing any of the relevant sums.

(7) In this section a reference to the Secretary of State, in relation to the sums mentioned in section 150(1)(i) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992, is a reference to the Treasury.

(8) A reference in any enactment, other than this Act and sections 189 and 190 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992, to an order under section 150 of that Act includes a reference to an order under this section.

(9) Nothing in section 166 of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 applies in relation to an order made by the Treasury under section 132 of that Act which corresponds to an order made under this section.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 1(2) inserted (26.11.2014) by The Universal Credit and Miscellaneous Amendments (No.2) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/2888), regs. 1(1), 7(2)(a)(i)

F2 S. 1(2A-2C) inserted (26.11.2014) by The Universal Credit and Miscellaneous Amendments (No.2) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/2888), regs. 1(1), 7(2)(a)(ii)

Commencement Information

I1 S. 1 in force at 1.10.2013 by S.I. 2013/2317, art. 2(a)