The Healthy Start Scheme and Day Care Food Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006

Failure to receive benefit represented by the voucher N.I.

13.—(1) If a beneficiary fails to receive benefit as a result of a failure to receive a voucher, he may, in accordance with paragraph (3), so notify in writing the Department for the purposes of paragraph (4).

(2) If a beneficiary who is entitled to benefit under regulations 4 and 5 receives a voucher in accordance with regulation 10, and

(a) the voucher is lost or stolen or accidentally destroyed before it is exchanged for Healthy Start food; or

(b) there is no food outlet within a reasonable distance of the beneficiary’s home; or

(c) the beneficiary is a child under the age of one year and there is no food outlet within a reasonable distance of the child’s home at which a voucher can be exchanged for Healthy Start food consisting of infant formula as described in Schedule 2;

the beneficiary may, in accordance with paragraph (3), so notify in writing the Department for the purposes of this regulation.

(3) A beneficiary who so notifies in the circumstances described —

(a) in paragraph (1) must, in the case of the first voucher pursuant to a claim, do so within twelve weeks of, and including the date he submitted his claim to the Department or, in any other case, within four weeks of and including the date of expiry of his last voucher;

(b) in paragraph (2) must do so before expiry of the period of validity of the voucher.

(4) If the Department is satisfied—

(a) on a notification pursuant to paragraph (1) or otherwise, that a beneficiary did not receive a voucher because of some act or omission on the part of the Department or Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs(1),

(b) on a notification pursuant to paragraph (2)(a), that the voucher has been lost or stolen or accidentally destroyed, or

(c) on a notification pursuant to paragraph (2)(b) or (c), that there is no food outlet within a reasonable distance of the beneficiary’s home or no such food outlet at which a voucher can be exchanged for Healthy Start food consisting of infant formula as described in Schedule 2,

it shall either, as it considers appropriate, issue or cause to be issued to that beneficiary a voucher or pay the beneficiary an amount equal to the value represented by the voucher.

Commencement Information

I1 Reg. 13 in operation at 27.11.2006, see reg. 1

(1)

See Section 4(1) of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (c. 11)