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United Kingdom Statutory Instruments


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STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS


2003 No. 325

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations 2003

  Made 17th February 2003 
  Laid before Parliament 20th February 2003 
  Coming into force in accordance with regulation 1(1)


ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS


PART 1

General
1. Citation, commencement and interpretation

PART 2

Housing Benefit
2. Housing Benefit Regulations
3. Interpretation
4. Modification of regulation 5
5. Persons from abroad
6. Applicable amounts
7. Amendment of regulation 19
8. Income and capital
9. Provisions which do not apply
10. Continuing payments where state pension credit claimed
11. Amendment of regulation 63

PART 3

Council Tax Benefit
12. Council Tax Benefit Regulations
13. Interpretation
14. Persons from abroad
15. Applicable amounts
16. Amendment of regulation 11
17. Income and capital
18. Provisions which do not apply
19. Amendment of regulation 52
20. Continuing payments

PART 4

Schedules Common to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
21. Application of Schedule 2

PART 5

Consequential and Transitional Provisions
22. Date on which change of circumstances takes effect
23. Time claims are made or treated as made
24. Notification of change of circumstances
25. Decisions
26. Amendments relating to recovery of overpaid housing benefit or excess council tax benefit
27. Minor amendments
28. Amendment of the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 2001
29. Transitional provision
30. Claims made before 6th October 2003
31. Existing claimants

  SCHEDULE 1 Provisions Conferring Powers Exercised in making these Regulations

  SCHEDULE 2 Disregards

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by the provisions specified in Schedule 1 to this Instrument and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, after consultation with organisations appearing to him to be representative of the authorities concerned[
1], by this Instrument, which contains only regulations made by virtue of or consequential upon paragraph 3 of Schedule 2 to, and in so far as it relates to that paragraph section 14 of, the State Pension Credit Act 2002[2] and which is made before the end of the period of 6 months beginning with the coming into force of those provisions[3], hereby makes the following Regulations:



PART 1

General

Citation, commencement and interpretation
     1.  - (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations 2003 and shall come into force - 

    (2) In these Regulations - 

    (3) In Part 5 of these Regulations, references in any provision inserted - 



PART 2

Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit Regulations
     2.  - (1) The Housing Benefit Regulations shall have effect, except where paragraph (2) applies, in relation to any person who has attained the qualifying age for state pension credit subject to the modifications set out in this Part, Part 4 and Schedule 2.

    (2) This paragraph applies if the claimant or, if the claimant has a partner, his partner, is a person on income support or on an income-based jobseeker's allowance within the meaning of the Housing Benefit Regulations[
6].

    (3) In this Part, references to regulations and Schedules are, unless the context otherwise requires, references to regulations of and Schedules to the Housing Benefit Regulations.

Interpretation
     3.  - (1) In regulation 2 (interpretation), in paragraph (1) - 

    (2) In that regulation, after paragraph (4A)[11], insert - 

Modification of regulation 5
     4. In regulation 5 (circumstances in which a person is or is not to be treated as occupying a dwelling as his home) in paragraph (6)(c)(ii), for the words "or the claimant's applicable amount includes a provision under paragraph 9, 9A,10,11, 13 or 14 of Schedule 2", substitute "or the claimant is a person who has attained or whose partner has attained the qualifying age for state pension credit".

Persons from abroad
    
5. In regulation 7A (persons from abroad), in paragraph (5), for sub-paragraph (d), substitute - 

Applicable amounts
    
6.  - (1) For regulations 16 (applicable amounts), 17 (polygamous marriages) and 18 (patients), substitute - 

    (2) After Schedule 2 insert - 




Amendment of regulation 19
     7. In regulation 19 (calculation of income and capital of members of claimant's family) - 

Income and capital
    
8. For regulations 21 to 45, substitute - 

Provisions which do not apply
    
9. The following provisions of the Housing Benefit Regulations shall not apply to a claimant who has attained, or whose partner has attained, the qualifying age for state pension credit - 

Continuing payments where state pension credit claimed
    
10. After regulation 62A[75], insert - 

Amendment of regulation 63
    
11. In regulation 63 (non-dependant deductions) - 



PART 3

Council Tax Benefit

Council Tax Benefit Regulations
    
12.  - (1) The Council Tax Benefit Regulations shall have effect, except where paragraph (2) applies, in relation to any person who has attained the qualifying age for state pension credit subject to the modifications set out in this Part, Part 4 and Schedule 2.

    (2) This paragraph applies if the claimant or, if the claimant has a partner, his partner, is a person on income support or on an income-based jobseeker's allowance within the meaning of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations[
76].

    (3) In this Part, references to regulations and Schedules are, unless the context otherwise requires, references to regulations of and Schedules to the Council Tax Benefit Regulations.

    (4) Reference in any provision which has effect in accordance with this Part to a provision of the Housing Benefit Regulations is to the provision in those Regulations as modified by Part 2 of these Regulations.

Interpretation
     13.  - (1) In regulation 2 (interpretation), in paragraph (1) - 

    (2) In that regulation, after paragraph (4A)[81], insert - 

Persons from abroad
     14. In regulation 4A (persons from abroad), in paragraph (5), for sub-paragraph (d), substitute - 

Applicable amounts
    
15.  - (1) For regulations 8 (applicable amounts), 9 (polygamous marriages) and 10 (patients), substitute - 

    (2) After Schedule 1, insert - 




Amendment of regulation 11
     16.  - (1) In regulation 11 (calculation of income and capital of members of claimant's family) - 

Income and capital
    
17. For regulations 13 to 37, substitute - 

Provisions which do not apply
    
18. The following provisions of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations shall not apply to a claimant who has attained, or whose partner has attained, the qualifying age for state pension credit - 

Amendment of regulation 52
    
19. In regulation 52 (non-dependant deductions) - 

Continuing payments
    
20. After regulation 53A[144], insert - 



PART 4

Schedules Common to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit

Application of Schedule 2
    
21.  - (1) Schedule 2 to these Regulations shall have effect in relation to both housing benefit and council tax benefit, but subject to any variations specified in the Schedule in its application to council tax benefit.

    (2) In its application to council tax benefit, references in Schedule 2 to "the Contributions and Benefits Act" shall be read as references to "the Contributions and Benefits Act 1992".

    (3) The provisions of Schedule 2 apply only in the case of a person who has attained or whose partner has attained the qualifying age for state pension credit, except in the case of a person to whom paragraph (4) applies.

    (4) This paragraph applies where the claimant or, if the claimant has a partner, his partner, is a person on income support or on an income-based jobseeker's allowance within the meaning of the Housing Benefit Regulations[
145] or, as the case may be, the Council Tax Benefit Regulations.



PART 5

Consequential and Transitional Provisions

Date on which change of circumstances takes effect
     22.  - (1) The Housing Benefit Regulations shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

    (2) In regulation 68[
146] (date on which change of circumstances is to take effect) - 

    (3) After regulation 68A[147], insert - 

    (4) The Council Tax Benefit Regulations shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (5) and (6).

    (5) In regulation 59[
148] (date on which change of circumstances takes effect) - 

    (6) After regulation 59A[149], insert - 

Time claims are made or treated as made
    
23. In regulation 72 of the Housing Benefit Regulations and regulation 62 of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations (time and manner in which claims are to be made) - 

Notification of change of circumstances
     24.  - (1) In regulation 75 of the Housing Benefit Regulations (duty to notify change of circumstances) - 

    (2) In regulation 65 of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations (duty to notify change of circumstances) - 

Decisions
     25.  - (1) In both Part II of Schedule 6 to the Housing Benefit Regulations and Part II of Schedule 6 to the Council Tax Benefit Regulations (awards where income support or an income-based jobseeker's allowance is payable) - 

    (2) After sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 9 of Schedule 6 to the Housing Benefit Regulations, insert - 

    (3) After sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 9 of Schedule 6 to the Council Tax Benefit Regulations, insert - 

Amendments relating to recovery of overpaid housing benefit or excess council tax benefit
    
26.  - (1) In regulation 105 of the Housing Benefit Regulations[153] (recovery of overpayments from prescribed benefits), in paragraph (1), at the end, add - 

    (2) In regulation 91 of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations[154] (recovery of excess benefit from prescribed benefits), in paragraph (1), at the end, add - 

Minor amendments
     27.  - (1) In the provisions listed in paragraph (2), after the words "income support", wherever they occur in those provisions, insert ", state pension credit".

    (2) Those provisions are - 

Amendment of the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 2001
     28. In regulation 8 of the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 2001[156] (date from which a decision superseding an earlier decision takes effect) - 

Transitional provision
     29. A claim for housing benefit or council tax benefit made after the day this regulation comes into force but before 6th October 2004 by a person who has attained or whose partner has attained the qualifying age for state pension credit shall be treated as made - 

whichever is the later, if the local authority is satisfied that, on that day, the claimant satisfied the conditions of entitlement to housing benefit or, as the case may be, council tax benefit.

Claims made before 6th October 2003
    
30.  - (1) This regulation applies if - 

    (2) If in the opinion of the local authority determining the claim, the conditions for the benefit claimed will be satisfied on 6th October 2003 unless there is a change in the claimant's circumstances, the authority may - 

    (3) A decision under paragraph (2)(b) to award benefit may be revised under paragraph 3 of Schedule 7 to the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000[157] if the requirements for entitlement to housing benefit or council tax benefit are found not to have been satisfied on 6th October 2003.

Existing claimants
     31.  - (1) In the case of an existing claimant who, on 6th October 2003, has been a patient for more than 6 weeks but not more than 13 weeks - 

    (2) In this regulation - 


Malcolm Wicks
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions

17th February 2003



SCHEDULE 1

Provisions Conferring Powers Exercised in making these Regulations


Column (1) Column (2) Column (3)
Short title Provision Relevant amendments
Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992[159] Section 123(1)(d) and (e) Local Government Finance Act 1992[160], Schedule 9, paragraph 1(1).
     Section 130(4)     
     Section 131(3)(b) and (10) Local Government Finance Act 1992, Schedule 9, paragraph 4.
     Section 134(1)     
     Section 135(1) and (6)     
     Section 136     
     Section 136A(3) and (4)(a) State Pension Credit Act 2002[161], Schedule 2, paragraph 3.
     Section 137(1) and (2)(c), (h) and (i)     
     Section 175(3) to (5) Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Act 1994[162], Schedule 1, paragraph 36;

Section 175 (3) to (5) is applied to provisions of the State Pension Credit Act 2002 by section 19(1) of that Act.

Social Security Administration Act 1992[163] Section 5(1)(a) to (e), (hh), (j), (k) and (p), and (6) Housing Act 1996[164], section 120;

Social Security Act 1998[165], section 74 and Schedule 7, paragraph 79;

Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000[166], Schedule 7, paragraph 21(2).

     Section 6(1)(a) to (e), (hh), (k) and (l) Local Government Finance Act 1992, Schedule 9, paragraph 12(1)(b);

Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000, Schedule 7, paragraph 21(2).

     Section 75(4)

Section 76(3)(c)

    
     Section 189(4) and (5) Social Security Act 1998, Schedule 7, paragraph 109.
Social Security Act 1998 Section 34(1) and (2)     
     Section 79(4) Applied to Schedule 7 to the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 by paragraph 20(3) of that Schedule.
Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 Schedule 7, paragraphs 4(6), 12 and 20(1)(b)     
State Pension Credit Act 2002 Section 13(1)     



SCHEDULE 2
Regulation 21


Disregards


     1. The following Schedules shall have effect as follows - 

     2.  - (1) In the First Schedule - 

    (2) In the Third Schedule - 



THE FIRST SCHEDULE




THE SECOND SCHEDULE




THE THIRD SCHEDULE





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