The Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) (Abolition of Benefit Periods Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003

Amendment of regulation 16 of the Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations

20.  In regulation 16 of the Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(1) (savings provisions) –

(a)after paragraph (5B)(2), there shall be inserted the following paragraphs –

“(5C) Subject to paragraph (5D), paragraphs (1) to (5A) above shall have effect where a claimant has attained the qualifying age for state pension credit as if any references to a benefit period were references to an award of housing benefit.

(5D) Paragraph (5C) shall not apply if the claimant, or if the claimant has a partner, his partner, is a person on income support or on an income-based jobseeker’s allowance within the meaning of the Principal Regulations.”;

(b)in paragraph (6), at the appropriate places, insert the following definitions –

““the qualifying age for state pension credit” means (in accordance with section 1(2)(b) and (6) of the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002(3) –

(a)

in the case of a woman, pensionable age, or

(b)

in the case of a man, the age which is pensionable age in the case of a woman born on the same day as the man;

“state pension credit” means state pension credit under the State Pension Credit Act 2002.”

(1)

S.R. 1996 No. 111; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1998 No. 324

(2)

Paragraph (5B) was inserted by regulation 10(c) of S.R. 1998 No. 324