Amendment of the Council Tax Benefit RegulationsU.K.
7.—[F1(1) The Council Tax Benefit Regulations shall be amended in accordance with the following provisions of this regulation.
(2) In regulation 2(1) (interpretation) after the definition of “housing benefit" there shall be inserted the following definition–
““Immigration and Asylum Act" means the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 M1;”.
(3) In regulation 4A–
(a)paragraphs (2), (3), (4)(a), (b), (c), (d), (e)(iv), (v) and (vi), (f) and (g), (4A), (5)(a), (b) and (c) and (5A) shall be omitted;
(b)in paragraph (6) the words “paragraphs (3)(b) and (4A)" shall be substituted by the words “ Paragraph 1 of Part I of the Schedule to, and regulation 2 as it applies to that paragraph of, the Social Security (Immigration and Asylum) Consequential Amendments Regulations 2000. ”; and
(c)in paragraph (7) the definitions of the “Common Travel Area" and the “Convention relating to the Status of Refugees" shall be omitted.
(4) In paragraph (5) of regulation 24 (calculation of income other than earnings) for the words following “paragraph (1)" there shall be substituted the following sub-paragraphs–
“(a)any payment to which regulation 19(2) (payments not earnings) applies; or
(b)in the case of a claimant who is receiving support under section 95 or 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act including support provided by virtue of regulations made under Schedule 9 to that Act, the amount of such support provided in respect of essential living needs of the claimant and his dependants (if any) as is specified in regulations made under paragraph 3 of Schedule 8 to the Immigration and Asylum Act.”.
(5) In Schedule A1 (treatment of claims for council tax benefit by refugees)–
(a)in paragraph 1(1)(b) for the words following head (ii) there shall be substituted the following words “ his claim for council tax benefit shall be treated as having been made on the date specified in sub-paragraph (2) ”;
(b)in paragraph 1(2) for sub-paragraphs (a) and (b), there shall be substituted the following words–
“on the date on which his claim for asylum was recorded by the Secretary of State as having been made.”;
(c)after paragraph 1 there shall be inserted the following paragraph–
“ Appropriate authority to whom a claim for council tax benefit by a refugee shall be made and time for making a claim
2A.—(1) A claim for council tax benefit made by a refugee on or after 3rd April 2000 for the relevant period may be made to the appropriate authority for the area in which the dwelling which the claimant occupied as his home was situate and in respect of which he was liable for council tax.
(2) Where the claimant has occupied more than one dwelling as his home in the relevant period, only one claim for council tax benefit shall be made in respect of that period and such a claim shall be made to the authority for the area in which the dwelling occupied by the refugee is situate and in respect of which he was liable to make payments when, after he is notified that he has been recorded by the Secretary of State as a refugee, he makes a claim for council tax benefit.
(3) The appropriate authority to which a claim for council tax benefit is made in accordance with this paragraph, shall determine the claimant’s entitlement to that benefit for the whole of the relevant period.
(4) A claim for council tax benefit to which this paragraph refers, shall be made within 28 days of a claimant receiving notification from the Secretary of State that he has been recorded as a refugee.
(5) Regulation 72(15) of these Regulations (backdating of claims) shall not have effect with respect to claims to which this Schedule applies.”; and
(d)paragraph 2 shall be omitted.
(6) In paragraph 22 of Schedule 4 (treatment of income in kind) after the words “income in kind" there shall be added the following words–
“except where regulation 24(5) (provision of support under section 95 or 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act in the calculation of income other than earnings) applies”.
(7) In paragraph 62 of Schedule 4 and paragraph 51 of Schedule 5 for the words “ regulation 21ZA" there shall be substituted the words “ regulation 21ZB ”.]