These Regulations further amend the Social Security Pensions (Home Responsibilities) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1994 (“the principal Regulations”).

Regulation 2 amends the principal Regulations to provide that home responsibilities protection shall be available to a person who is to be taken to have been precluded from regular employment by responsibilities at home in respect of the tax year 2003-2004 and any subsequent tax year throughout which he was an approved foster parent, subject to providing the Department for Social Development with such information as it may require for the purpose of determining whether in that year he was so precluded.

The Regulations make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in regulations made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to Great Britain and accordingly, by virtue of section 149(3) of, and paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to, the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8), are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.