The Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order (Northern Ireland) 2003

Dates on which sums specified for rates or amounts of benefit under the Contributions and Benefits Act or the Pension Schemes Act are increased by this Order

6.—(1) Paragraphs (2) to (9), which are subject to the provisions of paragraphs (10) and (11), specify the date on which the increases made by this Order in the sums specified for rates or amounts of benefit under the Contributions and Benefits Act or the Pension Schemes Act shall take effect for each case.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), any increases in the sums specified in Articles 3, 4 and 12 for Category A and Category B retirement pension and graduated retirement benefit together with, where appropriate, increases for dependants, shall take effect on 7th April 2003.

(3) In the case of a person over pensionable age whose entitlement to a Category A retirement pension is deferred and for whom the rate of short-term incapacity benefit falls to be calculated in accordance with section 30B(3) of the Contributions and Benefits Act(1), any increases in the sums mentioned in Articles 3, 4 and 12 for Category A and Category B retirement pension and graduated retirement benefit together with, where appropriate, any increases for dependants, shall take effect on 10th April 2003.

(4) The increases in the sums mentioned in Articles 4(4)(d) and 5(2) shall take effect on 7th April 2003.

(5) Any increases in the sums specified for the rate of maternity allowance, widowed mother’s allowance and widowed parent’s allowance, Category C and Category D retirement pension, child’s special allowance(2), attendance allowance, carer’s allowance(3) (except in a case where the Department has made arrangements for it to be paid on a Wednesday) together with, in each case where appropriate, increases for dependants, and guardian’s allowance shall in all cases take effect on 7th April 2003.

(6) Any increases in the sums specified for the rate of carer’s allowance in a case where the Department has made arrangements for it to be paid on a Wednesday, together with, where appropriate, increases for dependants, disablement benefit together with increases of disablement pension, maximum disablement gratuity under paragraph 9(2) of Schedule 7 to the Contributions and Benefits Act, industrial death benefit by way of widow’s and widower’s pension and allowance in respect of children together with, where appropriate, increases for dependants, and the maximum of the aggregate of weekly benefit payable for successive accidents under section 107(1) of that Act, shall in all cases take effect on 9th April 2003.

(7) In any case where a person’s weekly rate of Category A or Category B retirement pension falls to be increased under the provisions of section 47(1) or 48C(2) of the Contributions and Benefits Act(4), by reference to the weekly rate of invalidity allowance or age addition to long-term incapacity benefit to which he was previously entitled, any increase in such sum shall take effect on 7th April 2003.

(8) The increases in the sums specified for the rate of incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance together with, where appropriate, any increases for dependants, shall take effect in all cases on 10th April 2003.

(9) The increases in the sums falling to be calculated in accordance with paragraph 13(4) of Schedule 7 to the Contributions and Benefits Act (retirement allowance) shall take effect on 9th April 2003.

(10) In the case of a person who is subject to the provisions of regulations made under section 71(1)(b) of the Administration Act(5) (adjustment of benefit for persons undergoing medical or other treatment as an in-patient in a hospital) the increase in the sum mentioned in Article 4(3)(b) shall take effect in that case on the day on which the increase in the benefit payable to him apart from those regulations takes effect.

(11) Any increases in the sums specified in Articles 3 and 21(c), in so far as those sums are relevant for the purposes of establishing whether the rate of any benefit is not to be increased in respect of an adult dependant because the earnings of the dependant exceed a specified amount, shall take effect–

(a)except in a case where sub-paragraph (b) applies, on the first day of the first benefit week to commence for the beneficiary on or after 7th April 2003;

(b)in a case where regulation 7(b) of the Computation of Earnings Regulations (date on which earnings are treated as paid) applies, on the first day of the first benefit week to commence for the beneficiary on or after 1st April 2003,

and for the purposes of this paragraph “benefit week” has the same meaning as in regulation 2(1) of the Computation of Earnings Regulations.