5.—(1) £20 is disregarded if the applicant or, if the applicant has a partner, the applicant’s partner—
(a)is in receipt of—
(i)long-term incapacity benefit under section 30A of the SSCBA;
(ii)severe disablement allowance under section 68 of that Act;
(iii)attendance allowance under section 64 of that Act;
(iv)disability living allowance;
(v)personal independence payment
(vi)an AFIP;
(vii)any mobility supplement under article 20 of the Naval, Military and Air Forces Etc (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions Order 2006(1) (including such a supplement by virtue of any other scheme or order) or under article 25A of the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme 1983(2);
(viii)the disability element or the severe disability element of working tax credit under Schedule 2 to the Working Tax Credit (Entitlement and Maximum Rate) Regulations 2002(3); or
(ix)main phase employment and support allowance; or
(b)is or are registered as blind in a register compiled by a local authority under section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948(4) (welfare services) or, in Scotland, has been certified as blind and in consequence is registered in a register maintained by or on behalf of a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1994(5); or
(c)is, or is treated as, incapable of work in accordance with the provisions of, and regulations made under, Part 12A of the SSCBA (incapacity for work), and has been incapable, or has been treated as incapable, of work for a continuous period of not less than—
(i)in the case of an applicant who is terminally ill within the meaning of section 30B(4) of the SSCBA, 196 days;
(ii)in any other case, 364 days; or
(d)has, or is treated as having, limited capacity for work within the meaning of section 1(4) of the Welfare Reform Act 2007 or limited capability for work-related activity within the meaning of section 2(5) of that Act and either—
(i)the assessment phase as defined in section 24(2) of the Welfare Reform Act 2007 has ended; or
(ii)regulation 7 of the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008(6) (circumstances where the condition that the assessment phase has ended before entitlement to the support component or the work-related activity component arising does not apply) applies.
(2) Subject to sub-paragraph (3), £20 is disregarded if the applicant or, if the applicant has a partner, the applicant’s partner has, within a period of 8 weeks ending on the day on which the applicant or the applicant’s partner attains the qualifying age for state pension credit, had an award of housing benefit or been in receipt of a reduction under an authority’s scheme and—
(a)£20 was disregarded in respect of earnings taken into account in that award; and
(b)the person whose earnings qualified for the disregard continues in employment after the termination of that award.
(3) The disregard of £20 specified in sub-paragraph (2) applies so long as there is no break, other than a break which does not exceed 8 weeks, in a person’s—
(a)entitlement to housing benefit; or
(b)receipt of a reduction under an authority’s scheme; or
(c)employment,
following the first day in respect of which that benefit or reduction is awarded under an authority’s scheme.
(4) £20 is the maximum amount which may be disregarded under this paragraph, notwithstanding that, where the applicant has a partner, both the applicant and the applicant’s partner satisfy the requirements of this paragraph.