The Social Security (Claims and Payments and Adjudication) Amendment Regulations 1996

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987 (S.I. 1987/1968) in the following respects—

• they remove the special rules on time limits for claiming incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance for claimants in hospital (regulations 2 and 7); they also amend the time limit for claiming social fund payments (regulation 6);

• they increase the maximum weekly amount of benefit which may be paid at intervals of up to 12 months (regulation 3);

• they alter the period of time within which payment of benefit may be suspended in a case where an appeal to a Social Security Commissioner may be made (regulation 4);

• they make an amendment, consequential on changes to the entitlement conditions for income support, to the provisions on withholding of benefit (regulation 5).

These Regulations also amend regulations 63 and 63A of the Social Security (Adjudication) Regulations 1995 (S.I.1995/1801), which concern reviews of income support and jobseeker’s allowance. The regulations amend the provisions relating to the date that reviews of income support have effect where reductions in the capital outstanding on a loan or changes in the rate of interest have occurred (regulation 8), and make similar provision for jobseeker’s allowance (regulation 9).

These Regulations do not impose any costs on business.