Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Education (Student Loans) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 and shall come into operation on 1st August 2005.

2.  In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Education (Student Loans) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998(4).

Revocation

3.  The Regulations mentioned in Schedule 1 are revoked to the extent provided for in that Schedule.

Amendment of the principal Regulations

4.—(1) Regulation 6 of the principal Regulations is amended in accordance with this regulation.

(2) In paragraphs (1) to (4), for each of the figures in the first column, wherever it appears, there shall be substituted the corresponding figure in the second column below:

5.  Regulation 3(4) of, and Schedule 1 to, the principal Regulations are amended in accordance with Schedule 2.

Modifications applying whilst the Civil Partnership Act 2004 is not in force

6.  During such times as section 1 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004(5) is not in force, the amendments to the principal Regulations made by regulation 5 and Schedule 2 shall not have effect.

Regulation 3

SCHEDULE 1Revocations

Regulation 5

SCHEDULE 2Civil Partnerships

1.  In regulation 3(4) after “his spouse”, insert “or civil partner”.

2.  In Schedule 1—

(a)in paragraph 2 after “spouse,”, insert “civil partner,”;

(b)in paragraph 3 after “spouse” in both places it occurs, insert “, civil partner”; and

(c)in paragraph 5 after “spouse”, insert “or civil partner”.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Education (Student Loans) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 (the “1998 Regulations”). The 1998 Regulations, made under the Education (Student Loans) (Northern Ireland) Order 1990, govern mortgage style repayment loans. These loans are, for the most part, only available to students who started their courses before 1st August 1998.

Regulation 4 increases the maximum amounts that may be lent to students in relation to an academic year in line with inflation.

Regulation 5 and Schedule 2 to the Regulations amend the 1998 Regulations so as to enable persons who form civil partnerships and who are attending courses covered by the 1998 Regulations to be considered eligible for mortgage style repayment loans. Regulation 6 provides that these modifications do not take effect whilst section 1 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004(c. 36) is not in force.

These Regulations also revoke the Education (Student Loans) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004. They also revoke in part the Education (Student Loans) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998, the Education (Student Loans) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, the Education (Student Loans) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000, the Education (Student Loans) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 and the Education (Student Loans) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002.