PART 5MISCELLANEOUS
Review21.
(1)
The Department must establish procedures for reviewing a person's entitlement to welfare supplementary payment under these Regulations.
(2)
The procedures established must—
(a)
provide for a review to be carried out on the application of any person,
(b)
provide for the manner of making the application.
(3)
The procedures may, in particular, provide for—
(a)
the consideration of the applicant's entitlement to welfare supplementary payment by up to three persons nominated by the Department,
(b)
the preparation of a report by these persons setting out their conclusions in relation to the applicant's entitlement to welfare supplementary payment and their recommendation as to the manner in which the matter should be finally determined.
F1Persons to whom welfare supplementary payments may be made21A.
(1)
A welfare supplementary payment to which a person is entitled under these Regulations must be paid to the person, but this is subject to paragraph (2).
(2)
Payment may be made to a person appointed under regulation 33 of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987.
Disregards22.
No account must be taken of entitlement to welfare supplementary payment in considering a person's entitlement to benefit under a statutory provision relating to social security (irrespective of the name or nature of the benefit).
Residency23.
A person is not entitled to welfare supplementary payment unless the person—
(a)
is ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland, and
(b)
is present in Northern Ireland.
Temporary absence from Northern Ireland24.
(1)
Subject to regulation 25, where a person is temporarily absent from Northern Ireland, the person is treated as present in Northern Ireland for the purpose of these Regulations for the first 4 weeks of absence.
(2)
A person is temporarily absent from Northern Ireland if, at the beginning of the period of absence, the person's absence is unlikely to exceed 52 weeks.
Temporary absence from Northern Ireland to receive medical treatment25.
(1)
Where a person is temporarily absent from Northern Ireland, the person is treated as present in Northern Ireland for the purposes of these Regulations for the first 13 weeks of that absence, where—
(a)
the person's absence is solely in connection with arrangements made for the medical treatment of the person for a disease or bodily or mental disablement which commenced before the person left Northern Ireland; and
(b)
the arrangements referred to in sub-paragraph (a) relate to medical treatment—
(i)
outside Northern Ireland;
(ii)
during the period whilst the person is temporarily absent from Northern Ireland; and
(iii)
by, or under the supervision of, a person appropriately qualified to carry out that treatment.
(2)
In this regulation “temporarily absent” has the same meaning as in regulation 24(2).
Care home residents26.
(1)
Subject to regulation 29, no welfare supplementary payment is payable in respect of any period during which a person is a resident of a care home in circumstances in which any of the costs of any qualifying services provided for the person are borne out of public funds by virtue of any of the statutory provisions referred to in paragraph (2).
(2)
The statutory provisions are—
(a)
Article 5, 15 or 36 the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 M1,
(b)
the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 M2,
(c)
section 8 of the Carers and Direct Payments Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 M3, or
(d)
any other statutory provision relating to persons under a disability or to young persons or to education or training except—
(i)
Articles 50 and 51 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 M4,
(ii)
Article 30 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 M5, or
(iii)
Article 3 of the Education (Student Support) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 M6.
(3)
Subject to paragraph (4), paragraph (1) does not apply in the case of a person—
(a)
who has not attained the age of 18 and to whom—
(i)
Article 17(b) of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 M7 applies because the person's health is likely to be significantly impaired, or further impaired, without the provision of services for the person, or
(ii)
Article 17(c) of that Order applies, or
(b)
who is accommodated outside the United Kingdom if the costs of any qualifying services are borne wholly or partly by an education authority pursuant to its powers under Article 11 of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 M8.
(4)
Paragraph (3)(a) only applies during any period in which the Regional Health and Social Care Board or the Health and Social Care trust looking after the person places the person in a private dwelling with a family, or with a relative of the person, or with some other suitable person.
(5)
In this regulation—
“care home” and “qualifying services” have the same meaning as in Article 90 of the 2015 Order,
“Health and Social Care trust” means a body as established under Article 10 of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 M9, and
“the Regional Health and Social Care Board” means the body established under section 7 of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 M10.
Hospital in-patients27.
(1)
Subject to regulation 29, no welfare supplementary payment is payable in respect of any period during which a person is undergoing medical or other treatment as an in-patient at a hospital or similar institution in circumstances in which any of the costs of the treatment, accommodation and related services provided to the person are borne out of public funds.
(2)
For the purposes of paragraph (1) the costs of treatment, accommodation or any related services are borne out of public funds if a person is undergoing medical or other treatment as an in-patient in—
(a)
a hospital or similar institution under the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 or the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 M11, or
(b)
a hospital or similar institution maintained or administered by the Defence Council.
Prisoners28.
Subject to regulation 29, no welfare supplementary payment is payable under these Regulations for a period during which a person is in prison or detained in legal custody.
Exceptions: care homes, hospitals and prisons29.
Regulation 26(1), 27(1) or, as the case may be, regulation 28 does not apply in respect of the first 28 days of any period during which a person is someone to whom any of those regulations apply.
F2Change of circumstances: residency, care home, hospital, prison30.
(1)
This regulation applies where there is a change of circumstances of a kind set out in regulations 23 to 29 which affects a person’s entitlement to welfare supplementary payment.
(2)
Where it is reasonable to expect the person to do so, the person must inform the Department of this change of circumstances.
(3)
For the purposes of calculating the person’s entitlement to welfare supplementary payment, the date to be used is the date on which the change of circumstances takes effect.