Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 and shall come into operation on 21st September 2009.

(2) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954(3) shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.

Modification of the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations

2.—(1) For the purpose of making social fund winter fuel payments in respect of the 2009-10 winter, regulation 2 of the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000(4) (social fund winter fuel payments) is applied as if—

(a)the references to £100 (in both places) were to £125;

(b)in paragraphs (1)(i), (2)(a) and (3), the reference to £200 were to £250;

(c)in paragraph (2)(b), the reference to £200 were to £275;

(d)in paragraph (2)(b), the reference to £150 were to £200; and

(e)the references to £300 (in both places) were to £400.

(2) In this regulation, “the 2009-10 winter” means the winter which follows the qualifying week beginning on 21st September 2009.

Revocation

3.  The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008(5) are revoked.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations modify the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 to provide for an increase in winter fuel payments for winter 2009/2010.

They also revoke the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment (Temporary Increase) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 which provided for an increase in payments for winter 2008/2009.

These Regulations make, in relation to Northern Ireland only, provision corresponding to provision in Regulations made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to Great Britain and accordingly, by virtue of section 149(3) of, and paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to, the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.