1994 No. 1003

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Housing Benefit (General) Amendment Regulations 1994

Made

Laid before Parliament

Coming into force

The Secretary of State for Social Security, in exercise of powers conferred on him by sections 123(1)(d), 130(4), 135(1), 137(1) and 175(1) to (4) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 19921and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, after consultation with organisations appearing to him to be representative of the authorities concerned2, and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it3, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement1

These Regulations may be cited as the Housing Benefit (General) Amendment Regulations 1994 and shall come into force on 1st May 1994.

Amendment of Regulations2

In paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 19874(ineligible service charges), for sub-paragraph (f) there shall be substituted the following sub-paragraph—

f

charges in respect of general counselling or of any other support services, whoever provides those services, except where those services—

i

relate to the provision of adequate accommodation; or

ii

are provided to tenants by either—

aa

their landlord in person; or

bb

someone employed by their landlord (“the employee”),

and the landlord or, as the case may be, the employee spends the majority of the time, during which he provides any services, in providing services the charges for which are eligible under these Regulations (other than any tht are eligible only under the terms of this head).

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Social Security.

William HagueParliamentary Under-Secretary of State,Department of Social Security

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations further amend the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987. They provide that service charges for general counselling and support are eligible payments for Housing Benefit only where either the services are related to the provision of adequate accommodation or where the claimant’s landlord or the landlord’s employee spends the majority of the time, during which he provides services, in the provision of eligible services.

These Regulations do not impose a charge on businesses.