The Housing Benefit Regulations 2006

SECTION 1 E+W+S General

Interpretation E+W+S

53.—(1) In this Part—

“academic year” means the period of twelve months beginning on 1st January, 1st April, 1st July or 1st September according to whether the course in question begins in the winter, the spring, the summer or the autumn respectively but if students are required to begin attending the course during August or September and to continue attending through the autumn, the academic year of the course shall be considered to begin in the autumn rather than the summer;

“access funds” means—

(a)

grants made under section 68 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 M1 [F1 or section 74 of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017] for the purpose of providing funds on a discretionary basis to be paid to students;

(b)

grants made under sections 73(a) and (c) and 74(1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 M2 ; or

(c)

grants made under Article 30 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1993 M3 or grants, loans or other payments made under Article 5 of the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 M4 in each case being grants, or grants, loans or other payments as the case may be, for the purpose of assisting students in financial difficulties;

(d)

discretionary payments, known as “learner support funds”, which are made available to students in further education by institutions out of funds provided by the [F2 [F3 Secretary of State under section 14 of the Education Act 2002] F4 ... under sections 100 and 101 of [F5 the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009]] M5 ; or

(e)

Financial Contingency Funds made available by the [F6 Welsh Ministers];

“college of further education” means a college of further education within the meaning of Part I of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 M6 ;

[F7 “contribution” means—

(a)

any contribution in respect of the income of a student or any person which the Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers or an education authority takes into account in ascertaining the amount of a student's grant or student loan; or

(b)

any sums, which in determining the amount of a student's allowance or bursary in Scotland under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, the Scottish Ministers or education authority takes into account being sums which the Scottish Ministers or education authority consider that it is reasonable for the following persons to contribute towards the holder's expenses—

(i)

the holder of the allowance or bursary;

(ii)

the holder's parents;

(iii)

the holder's parent's spouse, civil partner or a person ordinarily living with the holder's parent as if he or she were the spouse or civil partner of that parent; or

(iv)

the holder's spouse or civil partner;]

“course of study” means any course of study, whether or not it is a sandwich course and whether or not a grant is made for undertaking or attending it;

“covenant income” means the gross income payable to a full-time student under a Deed of Covenant by his parent;

“education authority” means a government department, [F8 a local authority as defined in section 579 of the Education Act 1996 (interpretation)], a local education authority as defined in section 123 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 M7 , an education and library board established under Article 3 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986M8 , any body which is a research council for the purposes of the Science and Technology Act 1965 M9 or any analogous government department, authority, board or body, of the Channel Islands, Isle of Man or any other country outside Great Britain;

“full-time course of study” means a full-time course of study which—

(a)

is not funded in whole or in part by the [F9 [F10 Secretary of State under section 14 of the Education Act 2002] [F11 or under section 100 of the Apprenticeships, Children, Skills and Learning Act 2009]] or by the [F12 Welsh Ministers] or a full-time course of study which is not funded in whole or in part by the Scottish Ministers at a college of further education or a full-time course of study which is a course of higher education and is funded in whole or in part by the Scottish Ministers;

(b)

is funded in whole or in part by the [F9 [F10 Secretary of State under section 14 of the Education Act 2002] [F13 or under section 100 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009]] or by the [F12 Welsh Ministers] if it involves more than 16 guided learning hours per week for the student in question, according to the number of guided learning hours per week for that student set out—

(i)

[F14 in the case of a course funded by the Young People’s Learning Agency for England F15 ... in the student’s learning agreement signed on behalf of the establishment which is funded by [F16 the Secretary of State] for the delivery of that course; or]

(ii)

in the case of a course funded by the [F12 Welsh Ministers], in a document signed on behalf of the establishment which is funded by that Council for the delivery of that course; or

(c)

is not higher education and is funded in whole or in part by the Scottish Ministers at a college of further education and involves—

(i)

more than 16 hours per week of classroom-based or workshop-based programmed learning under the direct guidance of teaching staff according to the number of hours set out in a document signed on behalf of the college; or

(ii)

16 hours or less per week of classroom-based or workshop-based programmed learning under the direct guidance of teaching staff and it involves additional hours using structured learning packages supported by the teaching staff where the combined total of hours exceeds 21 hours per week, according to the number of hours set out in a document signed on behalf of the college;

“full-time student” means a person attending or undertaking a full-time course of study and includes a student on a sandwich course;

“grant” (except in the definition of access funds means any kind of educational grant or award and includes any scholarship, studentship, exhibition, allowance or bursary but does not include a payment from access funds or any payment to which paragraph 11 of Schedule 5 or [F17 paragraph 51] of Schedule 6 applies;

“grant income” means—

(a)

any income by way of a grant;

(b)

any contribution whether or not it is paid;

“higher education” means higher education within the meaning of Part 2 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992;

“last day of the course” means—

(a)

in the case of a qualifying course, the date on which the last day of that course falls or the date on which the final examination relating to that course is completed, whichever is the later;

(b)

in any other case, the date on which the last day of the final academic term falls in respect of the course in which the student is enrolled;

“period of study” means—

(a)

in the case of a course of study for one year or less, the period beginning with the start of the course and ending with the last day of the course;

(b)

in the case of a course of study for more than one year, in the first or, as the case may be, any subsequent year of the course, other than the final year of the course, the period beginning with the start of the course or, as the case may be, that year's start and ending with either—

(i)

[F18 the day before the start of the next year of the course in a case where the student's grant or loan is assessed at a rate appropriate to his studying throughout the year or, if he does not have a grant or loan, where a loan would have been assessed at such a rate had he had one; or]

(ii)

in any other case, the day before the start of the [F19 normal] summer vacation appropriate to his course;

(c)

in the final year of a course of study of more than one year, the period beginning with that year's start and ending with the last day of the course;

“periods of experience” means periods of work experience which form part of a sandwich course;

[F20 “postgraduate loan” means a loan to a student undertaking a postgraduate master’s degree course or a postgraduate doctoral degree course pursuant to regulations made under section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998;]

“qualifying course” means a qualifying course as defined for the purposes of Parts 2 and 4 of the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations;

[F21 “sandwich course” has the meaning prescribed in regulation 2(9) of the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2008, regulation 4(2) of the Education (Student Loans) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 or regulation 2(8) of the Education (Student Support) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007, as the case may be;]

“standard maintenance grant” means—

(a)

except where paragraph (b) or (c) applies, in the case of a student attending or undertaking a course of study at the University of London or an establishment within the area comprising the City of London and the Metropolitan Police District, the amount specified for the time being in paragraph 2(2)(a) of Schedule 2 to the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations 2003 M10 (“the 2003 Regulations”) for such a student;

(b)

except where paragraph (c) applies, in the case of a student residing at his parent's home, the amount specified in paragraph 3 thereof;

(c)

in the case of a student receiving an allowance or bursary under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 M11 , the amount of money specified as “standard maintenance allowance” for the relevant year appropriate for the student set out in the Student Support in Scotland Guide issued by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland M12 , or its nearest equivalent in the case of a bursary provided by a college of further education or a local education authorityF22 ...M13 ;

(d)

in any other case, the amount specified in paragraph 2(2) of Schedule 2 to the 2000 Regulations other than in sub-paragraph (a) or (b) thereof;

“student” means a person, other than a person in receipt of a training allowance, who is attending or undertaking—

(a)

a course of study at an educational establishment; or

(b)

a qualifying course;

“student loan” means a loan towards a student's maintenance pursuant to any regulations made under section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 M14 , section 73 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 or Article 3 of the Education (Student Support) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 M15 and shall include, in Scotland, a young student's bursary paid under regulation 4(1)(c) of the [F23 Students’ Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2007]M16 .

(2) For the purposes of the definition of “full-time student” in paragraph (1), a person shall be regarded as attending or, as the case may be, undertaking a full-time course of study or as being on a sandwich course—

(a) subject to paragraph (3), in the case of a person attending or undertaking a part of a modular course which would be a full-time course of study for the purposes of this Part, for the period beginning on the day on which that part of the course starts and ending—

(i) on the last day on which he is registered with the educational establishment as attending or undertaking that part as a full-time course of study; or

(ii) on such earlier date (if any) as he finally abandons the course or is dismissed from it;

(b) in any other case, throughout the period beginning on the date on which he starts attending or undertaking the course and ending on the last day of the course or on such earlier date (if any) as he finally abandons it or is dismissed from it.

(3) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph (2), the period referred to in that sub-paragraph shall include—

(a) where a person has failed examinations or has failed to successfully complete a module relating to a period when he was attending or undertaking a part of the course as a full-time course of study, any period in respect of which he attends or undertakes the course for the purpose of retaking those examinations or that module;

(b) any period of vacation within the period specified in that paragraph or immediately following that period except where the person has registered with the educational establishment to attend or undertake the final module in the course and the vacation immediately follows the last day on which he is required to attend or undertake the course.

(4) In paragraph (2), “modular course” means a course of study which consists of two or more modules, the successful completion of a specified number of which is required before a person is considered by the educational establishment to have completed the course.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 53(1) inserted (1.8.2019) by The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (Further Implementation etc.) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1027), regs. 1, 24

F2 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (1.9.2010) by The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1941), art. 14(3)(a), reg. 1

F3 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (1.5.2012) by The Young Peoples Learning Agency Abolition (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/956), arts. 1, 11(3)(a)(i)

F4 Words in reg. 53 omitted (26.5.2015) by virtue of The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 8(3)(a)

F5 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (1.5.2012) by The Young Peoples Learning Agency Abolition (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/956), arts. 1, 11(3)(a)(ii)

F6 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (5.1.2009) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 7) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/3157), regs. 1(1), 5(4)(a)

F7 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (6.4.2009) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/583), regs. 1(2), 6(6)(a)

F8 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (5.5.2010) by The Local Education Authorities and Children’s Services Authorities (Integration of Functions) (Local and Subordinate Legislation) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1172), art. 1(1), Sch. 3 para. 64

F9 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (1.9.2010) by The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1941), art. 14(3)(b)(i), reg. 1

F10 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (1.5.2012) by The Young Peoples Learning Agency Abolition (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/956), arts. 1, 11(3)(b)(i)

F11 Words in reg. 53 substituted (26.5.2015) by The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 8(3)(b)(i)

F12 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (5.1.2009) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 7) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/3157), regs. 1(1), 5(4)(b)

F13 Words in reg. 53 substituted (26.5.2015) by The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 8(3)(b)(ii)

F14 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (1.9.2010) by The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (Consequential Amendments to Subordinate Legislation) (England) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1941), art. 14(3)(b)(ii), reg. 1

F15 Words in reg. 53 omitted (26.5.2015) by virtue of The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 8(3)(aa), (b)(iii)

F16 Words in reg. 53 substituted (26.5.2015) by The Deregulation Act 2015 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/971), art. 1(2)(a), Sch. 3 para. 8(3)(b)(iii), (bb)

F17 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (19.5.2008) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.2) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/1042), regs. 1(2), 3(6)(a)

F18 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (6.4.2009) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/583), regs. 1(2), 6(6)(b)(i)

F19 Word in reg. 53(1) substituted (6.4.2009) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/583), regs. 1(2), 6(6)(b)(ii)

F20 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (15.7.2020) by The Social Security (Income and Capital) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/618), regs. 1, 5(6)

F21 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (19.5.2008) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.2) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/1042), regs. 1(2), 3(6)(b)

F22 Words in reg. 53(1) omitted (17.11.2008) by virtue of The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.6) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/2767), regs. 1(2), 6(5)(b)

F23 Words in reg. 53(1) substituted (19.5.2008) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.2) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/1042), regs. 1(2), 3(6)(c)

Marginal Citations

M1 1992 c. 13.

M2 1980 c. 44; the functions of the Secretary of State were transferred to Scottish Ministers by virtue of section 53 of the Scotland Act 1998(c. 46).

M3 S.I. 1993/2810 (N.I.12).

M4 S.I. 1997/1772 (N.I.15).

M5 2000 c. 21.

M6 1992 c. 37.

M7 1973 c. 65.

M8 S.I. 1986/594 (N.I.3).

M9 1965 c. 4.

M10 S.I. 2003/1994; the relevant amending Instrument is S.I. 2005/2083.

M11 1980 c. 44.

M12 The relevant leaflets are SAS2, SAS4 and SAS6.

M13 1992 c. 37.

M14 1998 c. 30.

M15 S.I. 1998/1760 (N.I. 14).

M16 S.I. 1999/1131.

Treatment of students E+W+S

54.  The provisions of Parts 2, 3 and 4 (entitlement to housing benefit, payments in respect of a dwelling, membership of a family) shall have effect in relation to students subject to the following provisions of this Part.