Amendments in relation to Housing Benefit4.

(1)

The Housing Benefit Regulations 200624 (referred to in this regulation as “the Housing Benefit Regulations”) and the Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 200625 (referred to in this regulation as “the Housing Benefit (SPC) Regulations”) shall be amended in accordance with the provisions of this regulation.

(2)

In regulation 19 of the Housing Benefit Regulations and the Housing Benefit (SPC) Regulations (persons of prescribed description)—

(a)

in paragraph (1), for “aged 16 or over but under 19 who is treated as a child for the purposes of section 142 of the Act (meaning of child)” there shall be substituted “who falls within the definition of qualifying young person in section 142 of the Act (child and qualifying young person)”;

(b)

at the end of paragraph (2)(a), there shall be inserted “or”; and

(c)

paragraph (2)(b) shall be omitted.

(3)

For regulation 56(2)(h) of the Housing Benefit Regulations (full-time students to be treated as not liable to make payments in respect of a dwelling), there shall be substituted—

“(h)

who is—

(i)

aged under 19 and whose course of study is not a course of higher education, or

(ii)

a qualifying young person or child within the meaning of section 142 of the Act (child and qualifying young person);”.

(4)

In Schedule 3 paragraph 2(1) of the Housing Benefit Regulations and the Housing Benefit (SPC) Regulations (applicable amounts), in paragraph (b) of column (1) of the table for “nineteenth” there shall be substituted “twentieth”.

(5)

In Schedule 6 of the Housing Benefit Regulations (capital to be disregarded), in paragraph 55(2)(c)(ii)(bb) and (4)(c)(ii)(bb) for “19” there shall be substituted “20”.