2005 No. 539
HOUSING; RATES; SOCIAL SECURITY
CIVIL PARTNERSHIP

The Social Security (Civil Partnership) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Made
Coming into operation
The Department for Social Development, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 48(1), 113(1)(b), 122(1)(a) and (d), 130, 131, 132 and 171(1), (3) to (5) of, and paragraphs 2(2), 3B(5)(b)(iii) and 7B(5)(b)(iii) of Schedule 5 to, the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 19921, sections 5(1)(a) and (b) and 165(1), (4) and (5) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 19922 and Articles 10(4), 11(6) and 74(1), (3) and (5) of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 19983, and now vested in it4, and paragraphs 10(1) and 20(1) and (3) of Schedule 7 to the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act (Northern Ireland) 20005, and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, with the consent of the Department of Finance and Personnel6, in so far as regulation 5 is concerned, and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of regulations 5 and 8 should not be referred to it7, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation1.

(1)

These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Civil Partnership) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 and shall come into operation on 5th December 2005 (immediately after the Civil Partnership (Pensions, Social Security and Child Support) (Consequential, etc. Provisions) Order (Northern Ireland) 20058 comes into operation).

(2)

The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 19549 shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

Amendment of the Social Security (Widow’s Benefit and Retirement Pensions) Regulations2.

(1)

The Social Security (Widow’s Benefit and Retirement Pensions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 197910 shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2)

In regulation 1(2) (interpretation) after the definition of “bereavement allowance”11 there shall be inserted the following definition—

““civil partner” in relation to any person who has been in a civil partnership more than once means the last civil partner;”.

(3)

In regulation 4(1)(d)(ii)12 (days to be treated as days of increment) after “neither married to,” there shall be inserted “or in a civil partnership with,”.

Amendment of the Social Security (General Benefit) Regulations3.

In regulation 2(1), (2) and (3) of the Social Security (General Benefit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 198413 (exceptions from disqualification for imprisonment etc.) for “wife or husband” there shall be substituted “spouse or civil partner”.

Amendment of the Income Support (General) Regulations4.

(1)

The Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 198714 shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2)

In regulation 42(4)(a)(i)15 (notional income) for “widow or widower” there shall be substituted “surviving spouse or surviving civil partner”.

(3)

In regulation 51(3)(a)(i)16 (notional capital) for “widow or widower” there shall be substituted “widow, widower or surviving civil partner”.

Amendment of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations5.

In regulation 18(1)(c) of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 198717 (patients) for “a married or unmarried couple” there shall be substituted “a couple”.

Amendment of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations6.

(1)

The Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 198718 shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2)

In regulation 6(22)19 (date of claim) in the definition of “family”, for “a married or unmarried couple” there shall be substituted “a couple”.

(3)

In regulation 19(3B)20 (time for claiming benefit) after “spouse” there shall be inserted “or civil partner”.

Amendment of the Social Security and Child Support (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations7.

(1)

The Social Security and Child Support (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 199921 shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (4).

(2)

In regulation 1(2) (interpretation)—

(a)

after the definition of “clerk to the appeal tribunal” there shall be inserted the following definition—

““couple” means—

(a)

a man and woman who are married to each other and are members of the same household;

(b)

a man and woman who are not married to each other but are living together as husband and wife;

(c)

two people of the same sex who are civil partners of each other and are members of the same household; or

(d)

two people of the same sex who are not civil partners of each other but are living together as if they were civil partners,

and for the purposes of paragraph (d), two people of the same sex are to be regarded as living together as if they were civil partners if, but only if, they would be regarded as living together as husband and wife were they instead two people of the opposite sex;; and”; and

(b)

in the definition of “partner”22 for “a married couple or an unmarried couple” there shall be substituted “a couple”.

(3)

In regulation 5(2)23 (date from which a decision revised under Article 10 takes effect), after “spouse” (in each place where it occurs) there shall be inserted “or civil partner”.

(4)

In Schedule 2A24 (date from which superseding decision takes effect where a claimant is in receipt of income support or jobseeker’s allowance) in paragraph 8(e)25 for “a married or an unmarried couple” there shall be substituted “a couple”.

Amendment of the Housing Benefit (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations8.

(1)

The Housing Benefit (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 200126 shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2)

In regulation 1(2) (interpretation)—

(a)

after the definition of “clerk to the appeal tribunal” there shall be inserted the following definition—

““couple” means—

(a)

a man and woman who are married to each other and are members of the same household;

(b)

a man and woman who are not married to each other but are living together as husband and wife;

(c)

two people of the same sex who are civil partners of each other and are members of the same household; or

(d)

two people of the same sex who are not civil partners of each other but are living together as if they were civil partners,

and for the purposes of paragraph (d), two people of the same sex are to be regarded as living together as if they were civil partners if, but only if, they would be regarded as living together as husband and wife were they instead two people of the opposite sex;; and”; and

(b)

in the definition of “partner” in paragraph (a) for “a married or unmarried couple” there shall be substituted “a couple”.

(3)

In regulation 23(1)27 (procedure in connection with appeals) for “amended by the Social Security, Child Support and Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005” there shall be substituted “amended by the Social Security (Civil Partnership) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005”.

Amendment of the Social Security (Deferral of Retirement Pensions) Regulations9.

In regulation 3(1)(c) of the Social Security (Deferral of Retirement Pensions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 200528 (amount of retirement pension not included in the calculation of the lump sum) after “married to,” there shall be inserted “or in a civil partnership with,”.

Revocation10.

Regulation 8(4) of the Social Security, Child Support and Tax Credits (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 200529 is hereby revoked.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 1st December 2005.

John O'Neill
A senior officer of the
Department for Social Development

The Department of Finance and Personnel hereby consents to regulation 5 of the foregoing Regulations

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 2nd December 2005.

M McIvor
A senior officer of the
Department of Finance and Personnel
(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations make minor amendments to a number of statutory rules relating to social security to reflect the new status of civil partnership. The amendments are consequential upon the Civil Partnership Act 2004 (“the Act”). The Act enables same-sex couples to form a civil partnership by registering as civil partners of each other (and certain overseas relationships registered abroad may be treated as civil partnerships). The Act also makes provision for civil partners to be treated in the same or similar way as spouses in relation to certain benefits and obligations.

Regulation 2 amends the Social Security (Widow’s Benefit and Retirement Pensions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1979 to insert a definition of civil partner. It also extends to civil partners the provisions relating to the days of deferral to be treated as days on which increments can be earned.

Regulation 3 amends the Social Security (General Benefit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1984 to extend to civil partners the exceptions to the rule that, where a beneficiary’s husband or wife is undergoing imprisonment or detention in legal custody, an adult dependency increase is not payable.

Regulation 4 amends the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 to provide that a war pension paid to a third party in respect of a surviving civil partner is taken into account as income or capital in the same way as a war pension paid to a surviving spouse.

Regulation 5 amends the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 to provide that same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples are treated in the same way where the calculation of the applicable amount for an in-patient is concerned.

Regulation 6 amends the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 in relation to the timing of benefit claims by civil partners.

Regulation 7 amends the Social Security and Child Support (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 to ensure that same-sex couples are treated in the same way as opposite-sex couples in matters of decision making and appeals.

Regulation 8 amends the Housing Benefit (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 to ensure that same-sex couples are treated in the same way as opposite-sex couples in matters of decision making and appeals in respect of housing benefit.

Regulation 9 amends the Social Security (Deferral of Retirement Pensions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 in relation to the amount of retirement pension a deferrer would have earned in an accrual period in the calculation of a lump sum so that these provisions apply to civil partners.

Regulation 10 makes a consequential revocation.

In so far as these Regulations are required, for the purposes of regulations 5 and 8, to be referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee under section 149(2) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (“the 1992 Act”), 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 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 1992 Act, are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.