Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Housing Renovation etc. Grants (Reduction of Grant) (Amendment No. 3) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 6th October 2003.

Amendments

2.  The Housing Renovation etc. Grants (Reduction of Grant) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(4) are amended in accordance with regulations 3 to 8.

Regulation 2

3.  In regulation 2(1) (interpretation), after the definition of “payment”, insert

““pension credit” means the guarantee credit element of state pension credit under section 2 of the State Pension Credit Act (Northern Ireland) 2002(5);”;

Regulation 6

4.  In paragraph (6) of regulation 6 (remunerative work), after “income support” insert “, pension credit”.

Regulation 9

5.  In paragraph (2)(a) of regulation 9 (the applicable amount)(6), after “income support” insert “, pension credit”.

Schedule 2

6.  In paragraph 12 of Schedule 2 (sums to be disregarded in the determination of earnings), after “income support” insert “, pension credit”.

Schedule 3

7.—(1) In paragraph 4 of Schedule 3 (sums to be disregarded in the determination of income other than earnings), after “income support” insert “, pension credit”.

(2) In paragraph 6 of Schedule 3, after sub-paragraph (b) insert “(bb) pension credit;”.

Schedule 4

8.  In paragraph 6 of Schedule 4 (capital to be disregarded), after “income support” insert “, pension credit”.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Housing Renovation etc. Grants (Reduction of Grant) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 which set out the means test for determining the amount of renovation grant and disabled facilities grant which may be paid by the Housing Executive to owner-occupier and tenant applicants under Chapter I of Part III of the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1992. The amendments take account of the introduction of state pension credit, of which the guarantee credit element is an income-related entitlement that replaces income support (minimum income guarantee) for people aged 60 and over.