The Social Security (Students and Income-related Benefits) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 and the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (“the Income-related Benefits Regulations”) in so far as they relate to students and sums to be disregarded in the calculation of their entitlement to benefit under the Income-related Benefit Regulations.

The Income-related Benefits Regulations are amended to increase the amounts of grant and loan income to be disregarded in respect of travel costs and the costs of books and equipment and to take account of changes to the provision of support to students by introducing a disregard for tuition fee loans from the calculation of a student’s income.

These Regulations also:

• remove an obsolete provision from the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 and the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 relating to a grant previously paid to certain students under certain legislation;

• make a minor drafting change to the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987; and

• make a consequential revocation.

In so far as these Regulations are required, for the purposes of regulation 3, to be referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee under section 149(2) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, 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, that Act, are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.