PART XIIIOverpayments

Method of recovery99.

(1)

Without prejudice to any other method of recovery, a relevant authority may recover a recoverable overpayment from any person referred to in regulation 98 by deduction from any housing benefit to which that person is entitled (including arrears of entitlement after offsetting under regulation 95) or, where it is unable to do so, may request the Department to recover any recoverable overpayment from the benefits prescribed in F1regulation 102(1).

F2(1A)

Where an overpayment is recoverable from a claimant who has one or more partners, a relevant authority may recover the overpayment by deduction from any housing benefit payable to the claimant’s partner, or where it is unable to do so, may request the Department to recover any recoverable overpayment from the benefits prescribed in regulation 102(2A), provided that the claimant and that partner were a couple both at the time of the overpayment and when the deduction is made.

F3(2)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(3)

Subject to paragraphs F4... (5) and (6), where the Executive makes deductions permitted by paragraph (1) F5or (1A) from the housing benefit in respect of rent it is paying to a claimant F6or a claimant’s partner (other than deductions from arrears of entitlement), the deduction in respect of a benefit week shall be—

(a)

in a case to which paragraph (4) applies, not more than the amount there specified; and

(b)

in any other case, not more than 3 times 5 per cent. of the personal allowance for a single claimant aged not less than 25, that 5 per cent. being, where it is not a multiple of 5 pence, rounded to the next higher such multiple.

(4)

Where the Executive makes deductions from housing benefit in respect of rent it is paying to a claimant F7or a claimant’s partner, where the claimant has, in respect of the whole or part of the recoverable overpayment—

(a)

been found guilty of an offence whether under a statute or otherwise;

(b)

made an admission after caution of deception or fraud for the purpose of obtaining relevant benefit; or

(c)

agreed to pay a penalty under section 109A of the Administration Act147 (penalty as alternative to prosecution) and the agreement has not been withdrawn,

the amount deducted under paragraph (3) shall be not more than 4 times 5 per cent. of the personal allowance for a single claimant aged not less than 25, but where that 5 per cent. is not a multiple of 10 pence, it shall be rounded to the nearest 10 pence or, if it is a multiple of 5 pence but not of 10 pence, the next higher multiple of 10 pence.

(5)

Where, in the calculation of housing benefit in respect of rent, the amount of earnings or other income falling to be taken into account is reduced by reason of paragraphs 3 to 10 of Schedule 5 F8, or paragraph 10A of that Schedule in a case where the amount of earnings to be disregarded under that paragraph is the amount referred to in regulation 45(2) of the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations or regulation 17(2) of the Social Security (Incapacity for Work) (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995, or paragraph 14, 15 or 16 of Schedule 6, the deduction under paragraph (3) may be increased by not more than half the amount of the reduction.

(6)

No deduction made under this regulationF9... shall be applied so as to reduce the housing benefit in respect of a benefit week to less than 50 pence.

(7)

In this regulation—

“admission after caution” means an admission after a caution has been administered in accordance with a Code issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989148;

“personal allowance for a single claimant aged not less than 25” means the amount specified in paragraph 1(1)(b) of column (2) of Schedule 4.

(8)

This regulation shall not apply in respect of an offence committed or an admission after caution or an agreement to pay a penalty made before 2nd October 2000.