The Early Years Assistance (Best Start Grants) (Scotland) Regulations 2018

Regulation 3(2)

SCHEDULE 1 S Procedural matters

PART 1 S Re-determination timescales

Deadline for requesting re-determination S

1.  The period for requesting a re-determination of entitlement to early years assistance under section 41 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 M1 is 31 days beginning with the day that the individual is informed, in accordance with section 40 of that Act, of the right to make the request.

Marginal Citations

M1 2018 asp 9.

Period allowed for re-determination S

2.—(1) In relation to determining entitlement to early years assistance, the period allowed for re-determination (within the meaning of section 43 of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018) is 16 working days beginning with—

[F1 (a) the day that the request for a re-determination is received by the Scottish Ministers, F2 ...

(b) in a case where the request for a re-determination is received by the Scottish Ministers outwith the period prescribed in paragraph 1, the day on which it is decided by the Scottish Ministers or (as the case may be) the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland that the individual in question has a good reason for not requesting a re-determination sooner] [F3 , or

(c) in a case where the Scottish Ministers have informed the individual of their decision that the request for a re-determination was not made in such form as the Scottish Ministers require, the day on which it is subsequently decided by the First-Tier Tribunal for Scotland that the individual in question has made the request in such form as the Scottish Ministers require.]

(2) For the purpose of this paragraph, a “working day” is a day other than—

(a) a Saturday;

(b) a Sunday; or

(c) a bank holiday in Scotland under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 M2 .

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 1 para. 2(1)(a)(b) substituted for words (21.3.2019) by The Early Years Assistance (Best Start Grants) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 1) Regulations 2019 (S.S.I. 2019/110), regs. 2, 7

F2 Word in sch. 1 para. 2(1)(a) omitted (9.2.2022) by virtue of The Social Security (Period for Re-determination Requests) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (S.S.I. 2021/469), regs. 1(1), 2(2)(a)(i)

F3 Sch. 1 para. 2(1)(c) and word inserted (9.2.2022) by The Social Security (Period for Re-determination Requests) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (S.S.I. 2021/469), regs. 1(1), 2(2)(a)(ii)

Marginal Citations

M2 1971 c.80. Schedule 1, paragraph 2 sets out the Scottish bank holidays; it is amended by the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007 (asp 2), section 1.

PART 2 S Determination without application

Determination following application in connection with another child S

3.—(1) The Scottish Ministers are to make a determination of an individual's entitlement to early years assistance in connection with a child (without receiving an application) in the circumstance described in sub-paragraph (2).

(2) The circumstance referred to in sub-paragraph (1) is that—

(a) the individual has applied for early years assistance in respect of a child; and

(b) it appears to the Scottish Ministers from the available information that, unless circumstances change, the individual will become eligible for early years assistance in respect of another child within the period—

(i) beginning on the day the application is made; and

(ii) ending at the end of the day that falls 10 days later.

(3) The determination that sub-paragraph (1) requires to be made is to be made on, or as soon as reasonably practicable after, the day that the Scottish Ministers anticipate will be the day on which the individual first becomes eligible for early years assistance in respect of the child as mentioned in sub-paragraph (2)(b).

(4) The determination that sub-paragraph (1) requires to be made is to be made (subject to sub-paragraph (5)) on the basis that whatever can be discerned from the available information to have been the case on the day the application mentioned in sub-paragraph (2)(a) was made remains the case on the day the determination is made.

(5) A determination is not to be made on the basis of the assumption set out in sub-paragraph (4) if, and to the extent that, the Scottish Ministers have information suggesting the assumption is unsound.

[F4 (5A) Where a determination is to be, or has been, made without an application by virtue of this paragraph, references in these Regulations to the day the application is made are to be read as references to the day the determination is made.]

(6) In this paragraph, “the available information” means—

(a) the information provided in the application referred to in sub-paragraph (2)(a); and

(b) any other information obtained by the Scottish Ministers in connection with that application.

Textual Amendments

F4 Sch. 1 para. 3(5A) inserted (21.3.2019) by The Early Years Assistance (Best Start Grants) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 1) Regulations 2019 (S.S.I. 2019/110), regs. 2, 8(2)

[F5 Determination following official error S

4.— (1) The Scottish Ministers are to make a determination of an individual’s entitlement to a best start grant in connection with a child (without receiving an application) where—

(a) they have previously made a determination of the individual’s entitlement to the grant in connection with the child (“the original determination”),

(b) they establish that due to an official error the original determination was wrongly made resulting in the individual—

(i) not being given a grant for which the individual was eligible, or

(ii) being given a grant of lesser value than the grant to which the individual was entitled,

(c) the Scottish Ministers are not considering a request for a re-determination of the individual’s entitlement to the grant, and

(d) the individual has not appealed to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland against the Scottish Ministers’ determination of the individual’s entitlement to the grant.

(2) In making a determination required by sub-paragraph (1) the Scottish Ministers are to use—

(a) the information provided in the application that led to the original determination, and

(b) any other information they have obtained in connection with that application.

(3) Where a determination is to be, or has been, made without an application by virtue of this paragraph, references in these Regulations to the day the application is made are to be read as references to the day the application that led to the original determination was made.

(4) In this paragraph—

“best start grant” means one of the forms of early years assistance mentioned in regulation 3,

“official error” means an error made by someone acting on behalf of the Scottish Ministers or on behalf of a Minister of the Crown that was not materially contributed to by anyone not so acting.]

Textual Amendments

F5 Sch. 1 paras. 4, 5 inserted (21.3.2019) by The Early Years Assistance (Best Start Grants) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 1) Regulations 2019 (S.S.I. 2019/110), regs. 2, 8(3)

[F5 Determination following backdated award of assistance S

5.— (1) The Scottish Ministers are to make a determination of an individual’s entitlement to a best start grant in connection with a child (without receiving an application) where—

(a) a determination has previously been made that the individual is not entitled to the grant in connection with the child (“the original determination”), and

(b) the Scottish Ministers establish that—

(i) following an appeal, an award of universal credit or assistance of a kind specified in regulation 11 is made that is a backdated award, and

(ii) had that award been made before the original determination, a determination that the individual is entitled to the grant in connection with the child would have been made instead.

(2) In making a determination required by sub-paragraph (1) the Scottish Ministers are to use—

(a) the information provided in the application that led to the original determination, and

(b) any other information they have obtained in connection with that application.

(3) Where a determination is to be, or has been, made without an application by virtue of this paragraph, references in these Regulations to the day the application is made are to be read as references to the day the application that led to the original determination was made.

(4) In this paragraph, “best start grant” means one of the forms of early years assistance mentioned in regulation 3 and “backdated award” has the same meaning as in regulation  5.]

Textual Amendments

F5 Sch. 1 paras. 4, 5 inserted (21.3.2019) by The Early Years Assistance (Best Start Grants) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 1) Regulations 2019 (S.S.I. 2019/110), regs. 2, 8(3)

[F6 Determination following award of Scottish child payment S

5A.— (1) The Scottish Ministers are to make a determination of an individual’s entitlement to an early learning grant or a school-age grant in connection with a child (without receiving an application) where the circumstances described in sub-paragraph (2) are met.

(2) The circumstances referred to in sub-paragraph (1) are that—

(a) a determination has been made that the individual is entitled to a Scottish child payment in respect of the child and the individual has an ongoing entitlement to that payment by virtue of regulation 19 of the Scottish Child Payment Regulations,

(b) the individual’s Scottish child payment in respect of the child is not currently suspended within the meaning of regulation 19G(a) of the Scottish Child Payment Regulations, and

(c) it appears to the Scottish Ministers from the available information that the individual is likely to be entitled to an early learning grant or a school-age grant in respect of the child.

(3) Where a determination is to be, or has been, made without an application by virtue of this paragraph, references in these Regulations to the day the application is made are to be read as references to the day the determination is made.

(4) Where an individual who is entitled to a Scottish child payment requests that the Scottish Ministers do not make a determination (without receiving an application) of the individual’s entitlement to an early leaning grant or school-age grant—

(a) the Scottish Ministers are not to make a determination (without receiving an application) under sub-paragraph (1), and

(b) accordingly, their duty to do so under sub-paragraph (1) ceases to apply.

(5) In this paragraph—

(a) “Scottish child payment” means Scottish child payment assistance given in accordance with the Scottish Child Payment Regulations,

(b) “Scottish Child Payment Regulations” means the Scottish Child Payment Regulations 2020, and

(c) “the available information” means—

(i) the information provided in the individual’s application for the Scottish child payment,

(ii) any other information obtained by the Scottish Ministers in connection with that application, and

(iii) any other information available to them that is relevant to their consideration of whether the individual is entitled to an early learning grant or a school-age grant.]

Textual Amendments

F6 Sch. 1 para. 5A inserted (28.11.2022) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendment and Transitional Provision) (Scotland) Regulations 2022 (S.S.I. 2022/336), regs. 1(2), 2(3)

[F7 PART 3 S Competing Claims

Textual Amendments

F7 Sch. 1 Pt. 3 inserted (23.12.2021) by The Best Start Grants and Scottish Child Payment (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2021 (S.S.I. 2021/494), regs. 1(1), 2

Multiple applications in respect of the same child S

6.— (1) Where two or more individuals have applied for early years assistance in respect of the same child, the Scottish Ministers are to make a determination of entitlement in accordance with sub-paragraphs (2) to (5).

(2) Where the Scottish Ministers decide that two or more individuals are eligible for early years assistance in respect of the child, they must apply the rules in sub-paragraphs (3) to (5) to determine which of the individuals is to be entitled to that assistance.

(3) The rules are that—

(a) where only one individual has been awarded child tax credit, state pension credit or universal credit for the day, or assessment period that includes the day, in question (and the child is recognised to be a child for whom the individual has responsibility in terms of that award of assistance), unless the Scottish Ministers decide otherwise in pursuance of the rule in sub-paragraph (5), that individual is entitled to early years assistance,

(b) where none of the individuals have been awarded assistance as described in sub-paragraph (3)(a), and only one individual has been awarded child benefit for the day in question (and the child is recognised to be a child for whom the individual has responsibility in terms of that award of assistance), that individual is entitled to early years assistance,

(c) where the individuals are kinship carers for the child, and none of them have been awarded any kind of assistance as described in sub-paragraph (3)(a) or (3)(b), the individual whose determination is to be made first is entitled to early years assistance,

(d) where one individual has been awarded child benefit for the day in question, and another individual is a kinship carer for the child, the individual who is the kinship carer for the child is entitled to early years assistance.

(4) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (3), the individual whose determination is to be made first is the individual whose application is to be treated as made first in accordance with regulation 4.

(5) Where—

(a) having applied the rules in sub-paragraph (3) in accordance with sub-paragraph (2) it appears to the Scottish Ministers from information available to them that none of the circumstances described in rules (a) to (d) are true in the case of the individuals in question, or

(b) the circumstances described in rule (a) of sub-paragraph (3) are true in the case of the individuals in question and one individual is a kinship carer for the child,

the Scottish Ministers must determine which of the individuals is entitled to the early years assistance having regard to the circumstances of the child.]