Source: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2016/224/made
Timestamp: 2018-10-17 11:17:52
Document Index: 576514107

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 3', 'art 2', 'art 4', 'art 5', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 7', 'art 6', 'art 6']

(3) All other provisions come into operation immediately after the coming into operation of the Universal Credit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016(3).
“the Claims and Payments Regulations” means the Universal Credit, Personal Independence payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016(5);
working tax credit or child tax credit which may be recovered under section 29 of the Tax Credits Act 2002(7) as modified by regulation 10(4) of the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016(8);
(2) Subject to paragraph (3), the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(9) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
(a)section 69ZE(10) (court action etc.);
(d)section 109B(4)(11) (penalty as alternative to prosecution: colluding employers, etc.).
5. Section 69ZB(3) of the Administration Act (recovery of overpayments of certain benefits) does not apply where the circumstances of the overpayment do not provide a basis for the decision pursuant to which the payment was made to be revised under Article 10 of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998(12) (revision of decisions) or superseded under Article 11 of that Order (decisions superseding earlier decisions).
(e)state pension credit payable under the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002(13);
(g)a state pension under Part 1 of the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015(14).
(iii)agreed to pay a penalty under section 109A of the Administration Act(15) (penalty as alternative to prosecution) and the agreement has not been withdrawn; or
(8) The limitations in paragraph (2) do not apply where the deduction falls to be made from any payment of arrears of universal credit other than any arrears caused by the operation of regulation 45 of the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016(16) (making of payments which have been suspended).
(10) In this regulation and regulation 14 “admission after caution” means an admission after a caution has been administered in accordance with a Code issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989(17).
(11) In paragraph (2) “the appropriate universal credit standard allowance” means the appropriate universal credit standard allowance included in the award of universal credit made to the liable person, or to the liable person and that person’s partner as joint claimants(18) by virtue of regulation 38 of the Universal Credit Regulations (amounts of elements).
(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), regulation 10 is to apply to the amount of a jobseeker’s allowance to which the liable person is presently entitled to the extent that there may be recovered in respect of any benefit week an amount equivalent to 40 per cent. of the age-related amount applicable to the liable person as specified in regulation 49 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 (weekly amounts of jobseeker’s allowance)(19).
(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), regulation 10 is to apply to the amount of an employment and support allowance to which the liable person is presently entitled to the extent that there may be recovered in respect of any one benefit week an amount equivalent to 40 per cent. of the age-related amount applicable to the liable person as specified in regulation 62(1)(b) of the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016(20) (prescribed amounts).
(6) In this regulation “benefit week” has the same meaning as in regulation 1(2) of the State Pension Credit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(21) (interpretation).
the Housing Executive if the recoverable amount is recoverable by it under section 109B(4)(a)(22) of the Administration Act,
(b)pay or allowances payable to the liable person as a member of Her Majesty’s forces other than pay or allowances payable by the employer to that person as a special member of a reserve force (within the meaning of the Reserve Forces Act 1996(23));
(e)guaranteed minimum pension within the meaning of the Pension Schemes (Northern Ireland) Act 1993(24);
“child support order” means a deduction from earnings order under Part 3 of the Child Support (Collection and Enforcement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992(25);
30. In regulation 2 of the Social Fund (Recovery by Deductions from Benefits) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1988(26) (benefits from which an award may be recovered) before paragraph (a) insert—
31.—(1) The Social Security (Payments on account, Overpayments and Recovery) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1988(27), as they have effect otherwise than for the purposes of tax credits, are amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (9).
(b)in the definition of “benefit”(28) after “state pension credit” insert “, personal independence payment”;
(c)after the definition of “disability working allowance”(29) insert—
(e)after the definition of “the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations”(30) insert—
(f)after the definition of “the State Pension Credit Regulations”(31) insert—
(6) For regulation 13(32) (sums to be deducted in calculating recoverable amounts) substitute—
(7) In regulation 15(2)(33) (recovery by deduction from prescribed benefits) after sub-paragraph (f) add—
(b)in paragraph (4)(34)—
(c)in paragraph (5)(35) for “shall be 5 times” substitute “shall, subject to paragraph (5ZA), be 8 times”;
32.—(1) The Housing Benefit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006(36) are amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).
(2) In regulation 102(37) (recovery of overpayments from prescribed benefits)—
33.—(1) The Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006(38) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).
(2) In regulation 83(39) (recovery of overpayments from prescribed benefits)—
34. Regulation 26(6)(c) of the State Pension Credit (Consequential, Transitional and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(40), regulation 15(8) of the Employment and Support Allowance (Consequential Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008(41) and regulation 2(2) and (3)(a) of the Social Security (Recovery) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012(42) are revoked.
Part 2 makes provision relating to recoverability. Regulation 3(1) prescribes that overpayments of universal credit, jobseeker’s allowance and employment and support allowance under section 69ZB of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (“the Administration Act”), overpayments of tax credits under the Tax Credits Act 2002, administrative penalties, payments on account of benefit and hardship payments are all recoverable amounts for the purpose of these Regulations. Regulation 4 makes provision as to who certain overpayments are recoverable from where it is necessary to recover from a person instead of, or in addition to, the person to whom it was paid. Regulation 5 makes provision as to when overpayments will still be recoverable if there has been no revision or supersession of the award.
Part 4 makes provision as to the calculation of the recoverable amount. Regulation 7 makes provision, where an overpayment of universal credit relates to the amount of a person’s capital, for the amount of that overpayment to be reduced to take account of diminution in that capital. Regulation 8 allows for the recoverable amount of the benefits to be reduced to take account of any universal credit which should have been paid to the person concerned or that person’s partner. Regulation 9 makes provision relating to calculating the amount of an overpayment of housing costs in universal credit where a claimant moves from one dwelling to another.
Part 5 makes provision as to the process of recovery. Regulation 10 allows recovery of recoverable amounts to take place by deduction from certain benefits. Regulations 11 to 14 respectively prescribe limitations on such recovery where the benefit from which deductions are to be made is universal credit, jobseeker’s allowance, employment and support allowance and state pension credit. Regulation 15 makes provision confirming when an obligation of a tenant is taken to have been discharged when recovery of an overpayment of housing costs has been obtained by deduction from benefits paid to landlords. Regulation 16 allows, where a decision awarding benefit is reversed or varied or revised or superseded, for the offsetting of arrears of entitlement against subsequent payments of universal credit, jobseeker’s allowance or employment and support allowance.
Part 6 makes provision for recovery of recoverable amounts by deduction from earnings. Regulation 17 defines certain terms used in that Part and defines what is and is not to be counted as “earnings”. It also specifies that a deduction must not reduce the amount paid to a liable person to below 60 per cent. of that person’s net earnings for the relevant period.
Regulation 18 prescribes the details a notice requiring the employee to make deductions from earnings must contain and when it (and a varied notice) takes effect.
Regulation 19 prescribes the amounts (set out in the Schedule) to be deducted by the employer from the amount paid to the liable person each pay-day and allows the employer to deduct an amount not exceeding £1 in respect of administrative costs.
Regulation 20 requires the employer to notify the liable person of the amount of the deduction including any deduction in respect of the employer’s administrative costs.
Regulation 21 requires the employer to pay the amount of the deduction (excluding any additional deduction for administrative costs) to the appropriate authority which sent the employer the notice by any of the methods set out in paragraph (2) and requires the employer to keep records of amounts paid to the appropriate authority and persons in respect of whom such payments have been made.
Regulation 22 requires the liable person to inform the appropriate authority within 7 days if the liable person leaves the employment of an employer who has received a notice in respect of that person or when the liable person becomes employed or re-employed.
Regulation 23 requires a person to notify the appropriate authority if a notice is received on the assumption that the employer is the employer of a liable person but it transpires that the employer is not. It also requires the employer to notify the appropriate authority if the liable person ceases to be in that employer’s employment.
Regulation 24 allows the appropriate authority to vary notices to decrease or, if agreed, to increase amounts included in them or to substitute a new employer for a previous employer and requires the employer to comply with the notice as varied.
Regulation 25 provides for a notice to be discharged in certain circumstances if no further payments are due under it, it is ineffective as a means of recovery or it is defective.
Regulation 26 allows for notices to lapse if the employer no longer has the liable person in that employer’s employment.
Regulation 27 makes provision relating to those in the employment of the Crown.
Regulation 28 makes provision as to priority where employers are obliged to make deductions under notices issued under these Regulations and other orders requiring deductions to be made from earnings. Deductions from earnings orders under the Child Support (Collection and Enforcement) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992 must be dealt with first. Where deductions would otherwise fall to be made under notices issued under these Regulations and under other statutory provisions, deductions under other orders are to be made first if in existence on the first pay-day for deductions under the notice, otherwise, the various notices and orders are to be dealt with in date order.
Regulation 29 makes it a criminal offence to fail to comply with certain provisions of Part 6 relating primarily to failures to make or pay deductions or to provide information.
Part 7 makes consequential amendments and revocations.
Regulation 30 amends the Social Fund (Recovery by Deductions from Benefits) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1988 to add universal credit to the list of benefits from which social fund awards may be recovered by deduction.
Regulation 31 amends the Social Security (Payments on account, Overpayments and Recovery) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1988 to:
ensure that overpayments of benefits coming within section 69 of the Administration Act can be recovered by deduction from universal credit and by deduction from earnings in accordance with Part 6 of these Regulations;
clarify the rules on what sums are deducted in calculating the amount of a recoverable overpayment under those Regulations;
increase the maximum deduction from benefit in respect of an overpayment which has resulted in a finding or acceptance of guilt for an offence, or in respect of which the individual has accepted an administrative penalty as an alternative to prosecution, from 5 times 5 per cent. of the relevant personal allowance, to 8 times 5 per cent. of that allowance and ensure that where such overpayments are being recovered by deduction from benefit at the same time as third party payments are being made from the benefit under Schedule 8A to the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987, the total sum deducted will not exceed that amount; and
ensure that the limitations on deductions from universal credit made under these Regulations apply equally to deductions under those Regulations.
Regulations 32 and 33 amend housing benefit legislation to ensure that overpayments of housing benefit can be recovered from universal credit and that such overpayments can be recovered by deduction from earnings in accordance with Part 6 of these Regulations.
A full impact assessment has not been published for this instrument as it has no impact on the costs of private sector and civil society organisations.