Amendment of the Housing Benefit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006
42.—(1) The Housing Benefit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006(1) are amended as follows.
(2) In regulation 2(1) (interpretation), after the definition of “broad rental market determination” insert—
““carer support payment” means carer’s assistance given in accordance with the Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023;”.
(3) In regulation 73F(1) (exception to the benefit cap: receipt of specified benefit), after sub-paragraph (ha) insert—
“(hb)the claimant, the claimant’s partner, or a young person for whom the claimant or the claimant’s partner is responsible, is entitled to a carer support payment;”.
(4) In Schedule 4 (applicable amounts)—
(a)in paragraph 7—
(i)at the end of sub-paragraph (1)(a) omit “and”;
(ii)at the end of sub-paragraph (1)(b) insert “and”;
(iii)after sub-paragraph (1)(b) insert—
“(c)in the case of carer support payment, any period during which, apart from regulation 16 of the Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023, he would be in receipt of that benefit.”;
(iv)in sub-paragraph (2)—
(aa)after “carer’s allowance by virtue of sub-paragraph (1)(a)” insert “or carer support payment by virtue of sub-paragraph (1)(c)”;
(bb)after “the allowance” insert “or payment”;
(b)in paragraph 14—
(i)in sub-paragraph (2)(a)(iii), after “carer’s allowance under section 70 of the Act” insert “, carer support payment”;
(ii)in the words after sub-paragraph (2)(b)(iii)—
(aa)after “carer’s allowance” insert “, carer support payment”;
(bb)after “such an allowance” insert “or payment”;
(iii)in sub-paragraphs (5)(b) and (6), after “carer’s allowance”, in each place it occurs, insert “, carer support payment”;
(c)in paragraph 17—
(i)in sub-paragraph (1), after “carer’s allowance under section 70 of the Act” insert “or carer support payment”;
(ii)in sub-paragraph (2), after “carer’s allowance”, in both places it occurs, insert “or carer support payment”;
(iii)in sub-paragraph (3)—
(aa)after “carer’s allowance”, in both places it occurs, insert “or carer support payment”;
(bb)after “that allowance” insert “or payment”;
(iv)in sub-paragraph (4)—
(aa)after “carer’s allowance”, in each place it occurs insert “or carer support payment”;
(bb)after “that allowance”, in both places it occurs, insert “or payment”;
(d)in paragraph 20—
(i)in sub-paragraph (6)(b)(i), after “carer’s allowance” insert “or carer support payment”;
(ii)in sub-paragraph (6)(b)(ii), after “such an allowance” insert “, such a payment”.
(5) In paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 5 (sums to be disregarded in the calculation of earnings), after “carer’s allowance”, in both places it occurs, insert “or carer support payment”.
(6) In Schedule 6 (sums to be disregarded in the calculation of income other than earnings), after paragraph 70 insert—
“71. Any amount of carer support payment that is in excess of the amount the claimant would receive if they had an entitlement to carer’s allowance under section 70 of the Act.”.
S.R. 2006 No. 405; relevant amending instruments are S.R. 2016 No. 55 and S.R. 2016 No. 375.