
1 

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment No. 3) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation as follows –
(a) for the purposes of this regulation and regulation 3, on 31st March 2003, and
(b) for all other purposes on 1st April 2003.
(2) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to an Act of the Assembly.
2 

(1) The Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 shall be amended in accordance with the following paragraph.
(2) In regulation 68 (date on which change of circumstances is to take effect) –
(a) in paragraph (1) –
(i) “either” shall be omitted,
(ii) for “paragraphs (2) to (8)” there shall be substituted “paragraphs (1A) to (8)”.
(b) After paragraph (1) there shall be inserted the following paragraph –“
(1A) Where –
(a) the change of circumstances in question is –
(i) the commencement of entitlement to a working tax credit or a child tax credit under the Tax Credits Act 2002 on 6th April 2003, or
(ii) the end, on 7th April 2003, of a period for which an award of a working families' tax credit or a disabled person’s tax credit is payable, and
(b) that change of circumstances would not, but for this paragraph, take effect on 7th April 2003,
that change of circumstances shall take effect on 7th April 2003.”.
3 
In regulation 3(3) of the Housing Benefit (General) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (amendment of regulation 72 of the principal regulations) for “an income-based jobseeker’s allowance” there shall be substituted “or an income-based jobseeker’s allowance”.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 21st March 2003.
John O'Neill
Senior Officer of the
Department for Social Development
The Department of Finance and Personnel hereby consents to these Regulations.Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Finance and Personnel on 24th March 2003.
Rodney Scott
Senior Officer of the
Department of Finance and Personnel
