The Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses (General) Regulations 1987

Interpretation

3.—(1) In these Regulations unless the context otherwise requires—

“child” means a person under the age of 16;

“claimant” means a person claiming a social fund payment in respect of maternity or funeral expenses;

“confinement” means labour resulting in the issue of a living child, or labour after 28 weeks of pregnancy resulting in the issue of a child whether alive or dead;

“family” means—

(a)

a married or unmarried couple and any children who are members of the same household and for whom one of the couple is or both are responsible;

(b)

a person who is not a member of a married or unmarried couple and any children who are members of the same household and for whom that person is responsible;

(c)

persons who are members of the same household and between whom there is a polygamous relationship and any children who are also members of the same household and for whom a member of the polygamous relationship is responsible;

“family income supplement” means a supplement under section 1 of the Family Income Supplements Act 1970(1);

“funeral” means a burial or a cremation;

“funeral payment” is to be construed in accordance with regulation 7;

“housing benefit” means a rate rebate, rent rebate or rent allowance payable under a scheme made under section 28 of the Social Security and Housing Benefits Act 1982(2) including a scheme as modified in accordance with section 30 of that Act;

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

“maternity payment” is to be construed in accordance with regulation 5;

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

“occupational pension scheme” has the same meaning as in the Social Security Pensions Act 1975(3);

“person affected by a trade dispute” means a person—

(a)

to whom section 8 of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976 applies; or

(b)

to whom that section would apply if a claim to supplementary benefit were made by or in respect of him;

“responsible member” is to be construed in accordance with regulation 7(1)(b);

“single payment of supplementary benefit” means a single payment to meet an exceptional need under section 3 of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976;

“supplementary benefit” means a pension or allowance under section 1 of the Supplementary Benefits Act 1976, or under section 4 of that Act, but only in the cases specified in regulations 11, 12, 16, 17 and 19 to 22 of the Supplementary Benefit (Urgent Cases) Regulations 1981(4);

“unmarried couple” means a man and a woman who are not married to each other but are living together as husband and wife.

(2) For the purposes of these Regulations, two persons who are a married or unmarried couple shall be treated as being or, as the case may be, as having ceased to be members of the same household in the circumstances set out in regulation 2(2) and (3) of the Supplementary Benefit (Aggregation) Regulations 1981(5).

(3) For the purposes of these Regulations, a person shall be treated as a member of a polygamous relationship where, but for the fact that the relationship includes more than two persons, he would be one of a married or unmarried couple.

(4) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to a numbered regulation is a reference to the regulation 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 bearing that number.

(1)

1970 c. 55.

(2)

1982 c. 24.

(3)

1975 c. 60; see section 66(1).

(4)

S.I. 1981/1529; the relevant amending instruments are S.I. 1982/907 and 914, 1983/1000 and 1984/938.

(5)

S.I. 1981/1524, as amended by S.I. 1984/938.