The Social Security (Income and Capital Disregards) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023

Amendment of the Universal Credit Regulations

8.—(1) The Universal Credit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016(1) are amended in accordance with paragraph (2).

(2) In regulation 76 (special schemes for compensation etc.)—

(a) omit paragraph (1)(a)(vi);

(b) in paragraph (1A)(2)—

(i) omit sub-paragraph (c),

(ii) after sub-paragraph (d) add—

“(e) the Post Office or the Secretary of State for the purpose of providing compensation or support which is—

(i) in connection with the failings of the Horizon system, or

(ii) otherwise payable following the judgment in Bates and Others v Post Office Limited ((No. 3) “Common Issues”)(3).”;

(c) after paragraph (1A) insert—

“(1B) This regulation also applies where a person receives a payment made for the purpose of providing compensation or support in respect of the fire on 14th June 2017 at Grenfell Tower.

(1C) This regulation also applies where a person—

(a) receives a vaccine damage payment or is a person for whose benefit a vaccine damage payment is made;

(b) is the partner of a person referred to in sub-paragraph (a) and receives a payment by or on behalf of that person which is derived from a vaccine damage payment;

(c) was the partner of a person referred to in sub-paragraph (a) immediately before the latter’s death and receives a payment from their estate which is derived from a vaccine damage payment;

(d) in a case where a vaccine damage payment is made to the personal representative of a person (“P”) who was severely disabled as a result of vaccination, the person who was P’s partner immediately before P’s death and receives a payment from P’s estate which is derived from the vaccine damage payment.”;

(d) after paragraph (3) add—

“(4) In this regulation—

“the Horizon system” means any version of the computer system used by the Post Office known as Horizon, Horizon Legacy, Horizon Online or HNG-X;

“the Post Office” means Post Office Limited (registered number 02154540);

“vaccine damage payment” means a payment made under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979.”.

(1)

S.R. 2016 No. 216. Relevant amendments made by S.R. 2020 No. 108 and S.R. 2021 No. 345

(2)

Paragraph (1A) inserted by regulation 8(5)(b) of S.R. 2020 No. 108 and amended by regulation 8(3) of S.R. 2021 No. 345

(3)

[2019] EWHC 606 (QB)