These Regulations further amend the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996, the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, the Family Credit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 and the Disability Working Allowance (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992.

In particular, these Regulations change the date when personal allowances in respect of children and young persons are increased for the purposes of income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance and housing benefit, from the date the child or young person concerned attains the age of 11 or 16 to the first Monday in September after that child or young person attains that age. They also provide that an increase in those allowances will no longer be applicable in respect of young persons aged 18 or over (regulation 2).

Similar provisions are made in relation to the assessment of the appropriate maximum amounts of family credit and of disability working allowance, together with consequential amendments (regulations 5, 6, 8 and 9). Corresponding provisions are also made relating to the period during which childcare charges may be disregarded for the purposes of housing benefit, family credit and disability working allowance (regulations 3, 4 and 7).

Regulation 10 makes transitional provisions relating to children or young persons who attained the ages of 11, 16 or 18 before these Regulations came into operation.

In so far as these Regulations are required, for the purposes of regulations 2(2) to (6) and (7)(c), 3 and 10(1) and (2) to be referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee under section 149(2) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8), (“the 1992 Act”), and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee, they have not been so referred by virtue of section 150(1)(b) of that Act. Otherwise they make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in Regulations made by the Secretary of State for Social Security in relation to Great Britain and accordingly, by virtue of section 149(3) of, and paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to, the 1992 Act, are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.