
1 
These Regulations may be cited as the Discretionary Financial Assistance (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 and shall come into operation on 7th April 2008.
2 

(1) The Discretionary Financial Assistance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 are amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).
(2) In regulation 3 (circumstances in which discretionary housing payments may be made)—
(a) after paragraph (a) insert—“
(aa) a liability to meet charges for water, sewerage or allied environmental services;”;
(b) in paragraph (d) for “Article 43(11)” substitute “Article 43(5)”; and
(c) after paragraph (i) add—“
(j) a reduction in the amount of benefit due to recovery of an overpayment under Part XIII of the Housing Benefit Regulations or Part XII of the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations.”.
(3) For regulation 5 (period for, or in respect of which, discretionary housing payments may be made) substitute—“
5. 

(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Housing Executive may restrict the period for or in respect of which discretionary housing payments may be made to such period as it considers appropriate in a particular class of case or the particular circumstances of a case.
(2) The Housing Executive may make discretionary housing payments to a person only in respect of a period during which that person is or was entitled to housing benefit.”.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 12th March 2008
(L.S.)John O’Neill
A senior officer of the Department for Social Development
