Housing Renovation etc. Grants (Reduction of Grant) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

Article 47 of the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 provides, inter alia, that where an application to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive for a grant is accompanied by an owner-occupier certificate or a tenant’s certificate (as defined in Article 44(2) and (3)), then, if the financial resources of the applicant exceed the applicable amount determined in accordance with regulations, the amount of the grant shall be reduced in accordance with those Regulations.

These Regulations amend the Housing Renovation etc. Grants (Reduction of Grant) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the principal Regulations”) which set out a means test for determining the amount of renovation grant and disabled facilities grant which may be paid by the Housing Executive to owner-occupier and tenant applicants under Chapter I of Part III of the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1992.

The amendments reflect changes in the housing benefit regulations, upon which the means test is based, and make minor and drafting changes.

Regulations 3 to 13 contain the amendments. In particular—

regulation 5 uprates the multipliers in regulation 11 of the principal Regulations (reduction in amount of grant);

regulation 6 provides for certain payments made to providers under the New Deal for unemployed persons (“New Deal”) to be excluded from a person’s notional income;

regulations 7, 8 and 13 amend provisions in Chapter VI of Part IV of, and Schedule 4 to, the principal Regulations (capital): regulation 7 provides that payments made to providers under the New Deal shall be excluded from a person’s notional capital, and regulation 13 provides for certain payments made to New Deal participants to be disregarded for the purposes of calculating a person’s capital;

regulations 9 and 10 amend provisions in Part V of the principal Regulations (students) with respect to the assessment of a student’s income;

regulation 11 uprates the applicable amounts and premiums in Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations;

regulation 12 provides for the following to be disregarded in the calculation of a person’s income other than earnings—

certain payments made pursuant to the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972;

payments received under certain insurance policies taken out to insure against the risk of being unable to maintain repayments on certain loans or under a hire-purchase or similar agreement; and

certain payments made to New Deal participants.

Regulation 14 contains transitional provisions.