The Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires–

“adjudicating authority” means any person or body with responsibility under the Social Security Acts 1975 to 1986, and regulations made thereunder, for the determination of claims for benefit and questions arising in connection with a claim for, or award of, or disqualification for receiving benefits;

“appropriate office” means an office of the Department of Health and Social Security or the Department of Employment;

“claim for benefit” includes–

(a)

an application for a declaration that an accident was an industrial accident;

(b)

a claim for attendance allowance expressed as an application for review of an earlier determination but which discloses no grounds on which such a determination could be reviewed;

(c)

an application for the review of an award or a decision for the purpose of obtaining any increase of benefit, but does not include any other application for the review of an award or a decision;

“long-term benefits” means any retirement pension, a widowed mother’s allowance, a widow’s pension, attendance allowance, mobility allowance, invalid care allowance, guardian’s allowance, any pension or allowance for industrial injury or disease and any increase in any such benefit;

“married couple” means a man and a woman who are married to each other and are members of the same household;

“partner” means one of a married or unmarried couple;

“unmarried couple” means a man and a woman who are not married to each other but are living together as husband and wife otherwise than in prescribed circumstances; and

“week” means a period of 7 days beginning with midnight between Saturday and Sunday.

(2) Unless the context otherwise requires, any reference in these Regulations to–

(a) a numbered regulation, Part or Schedule is a reference to the regulation, Part or Schedule bearing that number in these Regulations and any reference in a regulation to a numbered paragraph is a reference to the paragraph of that regulation having that number;

(b) a benefit includes any benefit under the Social Security Act 1975(1), child benefit under Part I of the Child Benefit Act 1975(2), income support and family credit under the Social Security Act 1986 and any social fund payments such as are mentioned in section 32(2)(a) of that Act.

(3) For the purposes of the provisions of these Regulations relating to the making of claims every increase of benefit under the Social Security Act 1975 shall be treated as a separate benefit and so shall an increase in the weekly rate of benefit under regulation 2(2) of the Child Benefit and Social Security (Fixing and Adjustment of Rates) Regulations 1976(3).

(1)

1975 c. 14; amendments altering the range of benefits available under this Act were made by the Social Security Pensions Act 1975 (c. 60), sections 15, 16, 22 and 66(2), the Social Security and Housing Benefits Act 1982 (c. 24), s.39, the Health and Social Security Act 1984 (c. 48), sections 11 to 13 and Schedule 5 and the Social Security Act 1986 (c. 50), sections 36 to 42, Schedule 3 and Schedule 4, paragraph 13.

(2)

1975 c. 61.

(3)

S.I. 1976/1267; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1980/110, 1986/1172.