Part XVIGeneral

Supplementary

191Interpretation—general

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

“the 1975 Act” means the M1Social Security Act 1975;

“the 1986 Act” means the “ M2Social Security Act 1986”;

“benefit” means benefit under the Contributions and Benefits Act F1and includes F2universal credit, F3state pension under Part 1 of the Pensions Act 2014, a jobseeker's allowance F4state pension credit, an employment and support allowance F5, personal independence payment and bereavement support payment under section 30 of the Pensions Act 2014;

F6F7 “billing authority” has the same meaning as in Part I of the M3Local Government Finance Act 1992;

“Christmas bonus” means a payment under Part X of the Contributions and Benefits Act;

“claim” is to be construed in accordance with “claimant”;

“claimant” (in relation to contributions under Part I and to benefit under Parts II to IV of the Contributions and Benefits Act) means—

(a)

a person whose right to be excepted from liability to pay, or to have his liability deferred for, or to be credited with, a contribution, is in question;

(b)

a person who has claimed benefit;

and includes, in relation to an award or decision a beneficiary under the award or affected by the decision;

“claimant” (in relation to industrial injuries benefit) means a person who has claimed such a benefit and includes—

(a)

an applicant for a declaration under F8section 29 of the Social Security Act 1998 that an accident was or was not an industrial accident; and

(b)

in relation to an award or decision, a beneficiary under the award or affected by the decision;

F9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“the Consequential Provisions Act” means the M4Social Security (Consequential Provisions) Act 1992;

F11“contribution” means a contribution under Part I of the Contributions and Benefit Act;

F12“contribution-based jobseeker's allowance” has the same meaning as in the Jobseekers Act 1995;

“contributions card” has the meaning assigned to it by section 114(6) above;

“the Contributions and Benefits Act” means the M5Social Security (Contributions and Benefits) Act 1992;

F13“contributory employment and support allowance” means a contributory allowance under Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2007 (employment and support allowance);

F6F14“council tax benefit Scheme” shall be construed in accordance with section 139(1) above;

“disablement benefit” is to be construed in accordance with section 94(2)(a) of the Contributions and Benefits Act;

F15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“dwelling” means any residential accommodation, whether or not consisting of the whole or part of a building and whether or not comprising separate and self-contained premises;

F16“financial year” has the same meaning as in the Local Government Finance Act 1992;

F15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“housing authority” means a local authority F17or a new town corporation;

“housing benefit scheme” is to be construed in accordance with section 134(1) above;

F18“income-based jobseeker's allowance” has the same meaning as in the Jobseekers Act 1995;

“income-related benefit” means—

(a)

income support;

(b)

F19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(c)

F19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(d)

housing benefit; and

(e)

F20council tax benefit;

F21“income-related employment and support allowance” means an income-related allowance under Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2007 (employment and support allowance);

“industrial injuries benefit” means benefit under Part V of the Contributions and Benefits Act, other than under Schedule 8;

F22“Inland Revenue” means the Commissioners of Inland Revenue

F23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“local authority” means—

(a)

in relation to England F25... , the council of a district or London borough, the Common Council of the City of London or the Council of the Isles of Scilly;

(b)

F26in relation to Wales, the council of a county or county borough; and

(c)

in relation to Scotland F27a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994;

“medical examination” includes bacteriological and radiographical tests and similar investigations, and “medically examined” has a corresponding meaning; “medical practitioner” means—

  1. (a)

    a registered medical practitioner; or

  2. (b)

    a person outside the United Kingdom who is not a registered medical practitioner, but has qualifications corresponding (in the Secretary of State's opinion) to those of a registered medical practitioner;

“medical treatment” means medical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment (including any course of diet or other regimen), and references to a person receiving or submitting himself to medical treatment are to be construed accordingly;

F28“money purchase contracted-out scheme” is to be construed in accordance with F29section 7B of the Pensions Act;

“new town corporation” means—

(a)

F30in relation to England—

  1. (i)

    a development corporation established under the New Towns Act 1981; or

  2. (ii)

    the Homes and Communities Agency so far as exercising functions in relation to anything transferred (or to be transferred) to it as mentioned in section 52(1)(a) to (d) of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008;

  3. (iii)

    F31the Greater London Authority so far as exercising its new towns and urban development functions;

(b)

in relation to Wales—

  1. (i)

    a development corporation established under the New Towns Act 1981; and

  2. (ii)

    the Welsh Ministers so far as exercising functions in relation to anything transferred (or to be transferred) to them as mentioned in section 36(1)(a)(i) to (iii) of that Act; and

(c)

in relation to Scotland, a development corporation established under the M6New Towns (Scotland) Act 1968;

F32“the Northern Ireland Department” means the Department for Social Development but—

(a)

in section 122 and sections 122B to 122E also includes the Department of Finance and Personnel; and

(b)

in sections 121E, 121F, 122, 122ZA, 122C and 122D also includes the Department for Employment and Learning;

“the Northern Ireland Administration Act” means the M7Social Security (Northern Ireland) Administration Act 1992;

“occupational pension scheme” has the same meaning as in F33section 1 of the Pensions Act;

“the Old Cases Act” means the M8Industrial Injuries and Diseases (Old Cases) Act 1975;

“Old Cases payments” means payments under Part I of Schedule 8 to the Contributions and Benefits Act;

F34“pensionable age” has the meaning given by the rules in paragraph 1 of Schedule 4 to the Pensions Act 1995;

“the Pensions Act” means the F35Pension Schemes Act 1993;

“personal pension scheme” has the meaning assigned to it by F36section 1 of the Pensions Act and “appropriate”, in relation to such a scheme, shall be construed in accordance with F37section 7B(6) of that Act

“prescribe” means prescribe by regulations F38and “prescribed” must be construed accordingly;

F39. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F40... “rent rebate” and “rent allowance” shall be construed in accordance with section 134 above;

F41. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F41. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F42“state pension credit” means state pension credit under the State Pension Credit Act 2002;

“tax year” means the 12 months beginning with 6th April in any year;

F43. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F44“universal credit assessment period” means an assessment period for the purposes of Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2012;

“widow's benefit” has the meaning assigned to it by section 20(1)(e) of the Contributions and Benefits Act.