The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Continuity with Income Support

18.—(1) For the purpose of providing continuity between income support and a jobseeker’s allowance—

(a) any housing costs which would, had the claimant been entitled to income support, have been existing housing costs and not new housing costs shall, notwithstanding paragraphs 1 to 17, be treated as existing housing costs, and any qualifications or limitations which would have applied to those costs had the award been an award of income support shall likewise apply to the costs in so far as they are met in jobseeker’s allowance;

(b) had the award of a jobseeker’s allowance been an award of income support and the housing costs which would then have been met would have included an additional amount met in accordance with paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 to the Income Support Regulations (add back), an amount equal to that additional amount shall be added to the housing costs to be met under this Schedule, but that amount shall be subject to the same qualifications and limitations as it would have been had the award been of income support, and

(c) for the purposes of any linking rule, any reference to a jobseeker’s allowance in this Schedule shall be taken also to include a reference to income support.

(2) Any loan which, had the claimant been entitled to income support and not a jobseeker’s allowance, would have been a qualifying loan for the purposes of Schedule 3 to the Income Support Regulations by virtue of regulation 4 to the Income Support (General) (Amendment and Transitional) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995(1) shall be treated also as a qualifying loan for the purposes of paragraph 14 or 15, as the case may be; and for the purpose of determining whether a claimant would satisfy the provision of regulation 4(2) of those regulations, a person in receipt of an income-based jobseeker’s allowance shall be treated as being in receipt of income support.

(1)

S.R. 1995 No. 350