The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2000

Citation, commencement and interpretationE+W+S

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2000 and shall come into force on 3rd April 2000.

(2) In these Regulations—

  • [F1“care home” in England and Wales has the meaning assigned to it by section 3 of the Care Standards Act 2000, and in Scotland means a care home service as defined by [F2paragraph 2 of schedule 12 to the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010];]

  • [F3“couple” means—

    (a)

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

    (b)

    a man and woman who are not married to each other but are living together as husband and wife;

    (c)

    two people of the same sex who are civil partners of each other and are members of the same household; or

    (d)

    two people of the same sex who are not civil partners of each other but are living together as if they were civil partners,

    and for the purposes of paragraph (d), two people of the same sex are to be regarded as living together as if they were civil partners if, but only if, they would be regarded as living together as husband and wife were they instead two people of the opposite sex;;]

  • M1“free in-patient treatment" shall be construed in accordance with regulation [F42(4) and (5) of the Social Security (Hospital In-Patients) Regulations 2005];

  • [F5“income-related employment and support allowance” means an income-related allowance under Part 1 of the Welfare Reform Act 2007 (employment and support allowance);]

  • M2“Income Support Regulations" means the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 ;

  • [F6“independent hospital”—

    (a)

    in England, means a hospital as defined by section 275 of the National Health Service Act 2006 that is not a health service hospital as defined by that section;

    (b)

    in Wales, has the meaning assigned to it by section 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000; and

    (c)

    in Scotland, means an independent healthcare service as defined in [F7section 10F(1)(a) and (b) of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978];]

  • [F8“qualifying age for state pension credit” means—

    (a)

    in the case of a woman, pensionable age; or

    (b)

    in the case of a man, the age which is pensionable age in the case of a woman born on the same day as the man;]

  • “qualifying week" means in respect of any year the week beginning on the third Monday in the September of that year;

  • F9...

  • “partner" means a member of–

    (a)

    [F10a couple]; or

    (b)

    a polygamous marriage;

  • F9...

  • [F11“state pension credit” has the meaning assigned to it by section 1 of the State Pension Credit Act 2002;]

  • F12...

[F13(3) F14... in these Regulations a person—

(a)is in residential care if, disregarding any period of temporary absence, he resides in—

(i)[F15a care home;]

(ii)[F15an independent hospital; or]

(iv)accommodation provided under section 3(1) of the Polish Resettlement Act 1947 M3 (provision by the Secretary of State of accommodation in camps),

throughout the qualifying week and the period of 12 weeks immediately before the qualifying week;

(b)lives with another person if—

(i)disregarding any period of temporary absence, they share accommodation as their mutual home; and

(ii)they are not in residential care.]

F16(3A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(4) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires, a reference—

(a)to a numbered regulation is to the regulation in these Regulations bearing that number; and

(b)in a regulation to a numbered paragraph is to the paragraph in that regulation bearing that number.

Textual Amendments

Marginal Citations

M1S.I. 1975/555; regulation 2(2) was substituted by S.I. 1992/2595.

M31947 c. 19; section 3(1) was amended by the Ministry of Social Security Act 1966 (c. 20), section 39(1) and Schedule 6, paragraph 3(1) and the Social Security Act 1980 (c. 30), section 20(1) and Schedule 4, paragraph 1(1)(a).

Social fund winter fuel paymentsE+W+S

[F172.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3) and regulation 3 of these Regulations, and regulation 36(2) of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987, the Secretary of State shall pay to a person who—

(a)in respect of any day falling within the qualifying week is ordinarily resident in Great Britain; and

(b)[F18in or before the qualifying week has attained the qualifying age for state pension credit,]

a winter fuel payment of—

(i)£200 unless he is in residential care or head (ii)(aa) applies; or

(ii)£100 if [F19state pension credit][F20, an income-based jobseeker's allowance or an income-related employment and support allowance] has not been, nor falls to be, paid to him in respect of the qualifying week and he is—

(aa)in that week living with a person to whom a payment under these Regulations has been, or falls to be, made in respect of the winter following the qualifying week; or

(bb) in residential care.

(2) Where such a person has attained the age of 80 in or before the qualifying week—

(a)in paragraph (1)(i), for the sum of £200 there shall be substituted the sum of £300; and

(b)[F21in paragraph (1)(ii), for the sum of £100 there shall be substituted the sum of £200, except that—

(i)where he is in that week living with a person to whom a payment under these Regulations has been, or falls to be, made in respect of the winter following that week who has also attained the age of 80 in or before that week, or

(ii)where he is in residential care,

there shall be substituted the sum of £150.]

(3) Where such a person has not attained the age of 80 in or before the qualifying week but he is a partner of and living with a person who has done so, in paragraph (1)(i) for the sum of £200 there shall be substituted the sum of £300.]

Textual Amendments

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

Persons not entitled to a social fund winter fuel paymentE+W+S

3.—(1) Regulation 2 shall not apply in respect of a person who—

(a)is [F22throughout the qualifying week] —

[F23(i)a partner of, and living with, a person who attained the qualifying age for state pension credit in or before the qualifying week and to whom state pension credit, an income-based jobseeker’s allowance or an income-related employment and support allowance has been, or falls to be, paid in respect of the qualifying week;]

(ii)receiving free in-patient treatment and has been receiving free in-patient treatment for more than 52 weeks; or

(iii)detained in custody under a sentence imposed by a court; or

(b)subject to paragraph (2), has not made a claim for a winter fuel payment [F24on or before the 31st March] following the qualifying week in respect of the winter following that week.

(2) Paragraph (1)(b) shall not apply where—

(a)a payment has been made by virtue of regulation 4(1) [F25on or before the 31st March] following the qualifying week in respect of the winter following that week; or

(b)regulation 4(2) applies.

Textual Amendments

Making a winter fuel payment without a claimE+W+S

4.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary of State may [F26on or before the 31st March] of the year following the year in which the qualifying week falls make a winter fuel payment under regulation 2 in respect of the preceding winter to a person who (disregarding regulation 3(b)) appears from official records held by the Secretary of State to be entitled to a payment under that regulation.

(2) Where a person becomes entitled to income support[F27, state pension credit or an income-related employment and support allowance] in respect of the qualifying week by virtue of a decision made after that week that section 115 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (exclusions) ceases to apply to him the Secretary of State shall make a winter fuel payment to that person under regulation 2 in respect of the winter following the qualifying week.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4), for the purposes of paragraphs (1) and (2) official records held by the Secretary of State as to a person’s circumstances shall be sufficient evidence thereof for the purpose of deciding his entitlement to a winter fuel payment and its amount.

(4) Paragraph (3) shall not apply so as to exclude the revision of a decision under section 9 of the Social Security Act 1998 (revision of decisions) or the supersession of a decision under section 10 M4 of that Act (decisions superseding earlier decisions) or the consideration of fresh evidence in connection with the revision or supersession of a decision.

Textual Amendments

Marginal Citations

M4Section 10 was amended by paragraph 23 of Schedule 7 to the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 (c. 2).

RevocationsE+W+S

5.  The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 1998 M5, the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Amendment Regulations 1998 M6 and the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Amendment Regulations 1999 M7 are hereby revoked.

Marginal Citations

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

Angela Eagle

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,

Department of Social Security