Regulation 2
1.—(1) This Scheme may be cited as the Energy Payment Support Scheme (Northern Ireland) 2022.
(2) In this Scheme:—
“the 1992 Act” means the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992(1);
“the 1995 Order” means the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995(2);
“the 2007 Act” means the Welfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007(3);
“the 2015 Order” means the Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015(4);
“the Department” means the Department for Communities;
“an Energy Payment” means financial assistance provided under this Scheme;
“care home” means an establishment that provides accommodation together with nursing or personal care for adults or children;
“employment and support allowance” means employment and support allowance under section 1 of the 2007 Act;
“income support” means income support under section 123 of the 1992 Act;
“jobseekers allowance” means jobseekers allowance under Article 3 of the 1995 Order;
“the qualifying week” means the week beginning with (and including) Monday 13th December 2021 and ending on Sunday 19th December 2021;
“social security information” means information held by or on behalf of the Department and obtained as a result of, or for the purpose of, the exercise of the Department’s functions in relation to social security;
“the standard rate” means a single payment of £200;
“state pension credit” means state pension credit under the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002(5);
“universal credit” means universal credit under Part 2 of the 2015 Order.
2.—(1) A person is not eligible for an Energy Payment at the standard rate unless they were in receipt of—
(a)the income-related allowance of employment and support allowance; or
(b)income support; or
(c)income-based jobseeker’s allowance or joint-claim jobseeker’s allowance; or
(d)state pension credit; or
(e)universal credit
on any one day during the qualifying week, and on that day were ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland.
(2) Only one Energy Payment shall be payable under this scheme in respect of any person.
(3) A person who is resident in a care home shall not be eligible for a payment under this scheme.
3. The Department may recover any payment made in error.
4.—(1) A person who is eligible for an Energy Payment, and has not received it by 28th March 2022, may apply for a payment.
(2) An application under sub-paragraph (1) must—
(a)be made in writing to the Department or by telephone to the relevant telephone numbers published on the NI Direct website
(b)be received by the Department before 31st May 2022; and
(c)specify—
(i)the applicant’s name, address, date of birth and national insurance number; and
(ii)the benefits that the applicant was in receipt of during the qualifying week.
(3) If the Department is satisfied that a person making an application under sub-paragraph (1) is eligible for an Energy Support payment and has not already received such a payment, the Department shall make that payment.
5. There will be no right of appeal.
6. The Department may use social security information for the purpose of determining whether a person is eligible for an Energy Payment.
7. The Department shall make Energy Payments under the Scheme.