This Statutory Instrument amends the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987 and the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992 with effect from 1st April 2002.

The 1987 and 1992 Regulations referred to above stipulate that for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit purposes, certain specified “relevant child care charges” shall be deducted from the income of a claimant when calculating entitlement to benefit. Regulation 2 of this instrument enlarges and updates the category of “relevant child care charges” to take account of changes to the Children Act 1989 brought in by the Care Standards Act 2000, in respect of England and Wales and provisions in the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, which replace the relevant provisions in the Children Act 1989 in respect of Scotland.