(1)    These Regulations may be cited as the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Amendment Regulations 1999 and shall come into force on 28th October 1999.

(2)    In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 1998.

For the purposes of determining whether a person shall be entitled to a winter fuel payment for the winter of 1999 to 2000 and for subsequent winters and its amount, the principal Regulations shall apply as amended by the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Amendment Regulations 1998 subject to the following further amendments—

(a)    in regulation 1(2) (interpretation) in the definition of “the qualifying week” for the words “9th November 1998” there shall be substituted the words “the third Monday in September in each year in respect of a winter fuel payment for the following winter,”;

(b)    in regulation 3(1) (prescribed amount)—

(i)    in sub-paragraph (a) for the amount “£50” there shall be substituted the amount “£100”;

(ii)    in heads (i) and (ii) of sub-paragraph (b) for the amount “£20” there shall be substituted the amount “£100”;

(iii)    in head (iii) of sub-paragraph (b) for the amount “£10” there shall be substituted the amount “£50”.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Social Security.

Angela Eagle

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,

Department of Social Security

30th June 1999

These Regulations amend the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 1998 (the principal Regulations) to provide that the qualifying week for entitlement to a winter fuel payment for the winter of 1999 to 2000 and for subsequent winters shall be the week beginning with the third Monday in September in each year. They also increase the amounts of winter fuel payments.

These Regulations do not impose any charge on business.