Amendment of the Housing Benefit Regulations
5.—(1) The Housing Benefit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006(1) are amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (4).
(2) In regulation 25(13) (treatment of child care charges)—
(a)for sub-paragraph (b) substitute—
“(b)who is certified as severely sight impaired or blind by a consultant ophthalmologist;”; and
(b)in sub- paragraph (c) for “registered as blind in such a register” substitute “certified as severely sight impaired or blind”.
(3) In regulation 72(6)(a) (non-dependant deductions) for “blind or treated as blind” substitute “severely sight impaired or blind or treated as severely sight impaired or blind”.
(4) In Schedule 4 (applicable amounts)——
(a)in paragraph 13 (additional condition for the disability premium)—
(i)in sub-paragraph (1)(a)(2) for head (v) substitute—
“(v)is certified as severely sight impaired or blind by a consultant ophthalmologist; or”, and
(ii)for sub-paragraph (2) substitute—
“(2) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(a)(v), a person who has ceased to be certified as severely sight impaired or blind on regaining his eyesight shall nevertheless be treated as severely sight impaired or blind, as the case may be, and as satisfying the additional condition set out in that sub-paragraph for a period of 28 weeks following the date on which he ceased to be so certified.”;
(b)in paragraph 14 (severe disability premium)—
(i)in sub-paragraph (3) for “blind or is treated as blind” substitute “severely sight impaired or blind or treated as severely sight impaired or blind”, and
(ii)in sub-paragraph (4)(b) for “blind or is treated as blind” substitute “severely sight impaired or blind or treated as severely sight impaired or blind”; and
(c)in paragraph 16(b) (disabled child premium) for “blind or treated as blind” substitute “severely sight impaired or blind or treated as severely sight impaired or blind”.
S.R. 2006 No. 405; relevant amending Regulation is S.R. 2008 No. 179
Sub-paragraph (1) was amended by regulation 3(8)(d)(i) and (ii) of S.R. 2008 No. 179