The Income-Related Benefits and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Income-Related Benefits and Jobseeker’s Allowance (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 and this regulation shall come into operation on 1st April 1997.

(2) In so far as these Regulations amend provisions relating to income support or jobseeker’s allowance, they shall come into operation on 7th April 1997 and, in relation to any particular claimant for either of those benefits, they shall have effect from the first day of the first benefit week to commence for that claimant on or after that date.

(3) In paragraph (2) the expression “benefit week” shall have the same meaning as in regulation 2(1) of the Income Support Regulations(1) or, where appropriate, in regulation 1(2) of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations(2).

(4) In so far as these Regulations amend provisions relating to housing benefit—

(a) in any case to which paragraph (5) applies, they shall come into operation on 1st April 1997, and

(b) in any other case, they shall come into operation on 7th April 1997.

(5) This paragraph applies in any case where—

(a) rent is payable at intervals of one month or any other interval which is not a week or a multiple thereof, or

(b) payments by way of rates are not made together with payments of rent at weekly intervals or multiples thereof.

(6) In so far as these Regulations amend provisions relating to family credit or disability working allowance, they shall come into operation on 8th April 1997 and, in relation to any particular claimant for either of those benefits, they shall have effect, where a claimant has an award of family credit or disability working allowance which is current on 7th April 1997, on the day following the expiration of that award.

(7) In these Regulations—

“the Income Support Regulations” means the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987(3);

“the Housing Benefit Regulations” means the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987(4);

“the Family Credit Regulations” means the Family Credit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987(5);

“the Disability Working Allowance Regulations” means the Disability Working Allowance (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992(6);

“the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations” means the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(7).

(8) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(8) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to a Measure of the Assembly.

(1)

The definition of “benefit week” was amended by regulation 2(a) of S.R. 1988 No. 318

(2)

The definition of “benefit week” was amended by regulation 2(2) of S.R. 1996 No. 358 and regulation 2(2)(a)(ii) of S.R. 1996 No. 503

(3)

S.R. 1987 No. 459; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1988 Nos. 318 and 431, S.R. 1989 Nos. 139 and 365, S.R. 1990 Nos. 33, 131, 137 and 297, S.R. 1991 Nos. 46 and 204, S.R. 1992 No. 201, S.R. 1993 Nos. 149, 195 and 233 and S.R. 1996 Nos. 78, 93 and 449

(4)

S.R. 1987 No. 461; relevant amending rules are S.R. 1988 No. 314, S.R. 1994 No. 335, S.R. 1996 Nos. 73, 334 and 448 and S.R. 1997 No. 4

(5)

S.R. 1987 No. 463; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1989 No. 366 and S.R. 1995 No. 86

(6)

S.R. 1992 No. 78; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1995 No. 86

(7)

S.R. 1996 No. 198; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1996 Nos. 356, 358 and 503

(8)

1954 c. 33 (N.I.)