These Regulations may be cited as the Income Support (General) and Jobseeker's Allowance Amendment Regulations 1999 and shall come into force on 2nd August 1999.

(1)    In paragraph 14 of Schedule 3 to the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 (housing costs: linking rule)—

(a)    in sub-paragraph (3A), after the word “shall” there shall be inserted the words “, subject to sub-paragraph (3AA),”;

(b)    after sub-paragraph (3A) there shall be inserted the following sub-paragraph—

“(3AA)    Where the appropriate amount of a loan exceeds the amount specified in paragraph 11(5), sub-paragraph (3A) shall not apply except—

(a)    for the purposes of paragraph 6(1) or 8(1); or

(b)    where a person has ceased to be in receipt of income support for a period of 52 weeks or less because he or his partner is a welfare to work beneficiary.”.

(2)    In paragraph 13 of Schedule 2 to the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 1996 (housing costs: linking rule)—

(a)    in sub-paragraph (4), after the word “shall” there shall be inserted the words “, subject to sub-paragraph (4A),”;

(b)    after sub-paragraph (4) there shall be inserted the following sub-paragraph—

“(4A)    Where the appropriate amount of a loan exceeds the amount specified in paragraph 10(4), sub-paragraph (4) shall not apply except—

(a)    for the purposes of paragraph 6(1) or 7(1); or

(b)    where a person has ceased to be in receipt of a jobseeker's allowance for a period of 52 weeks or less because he or his partner is a welfare to work beneficiary.”.

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

Angela Eagle

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,

Department of Social Security

5th July 1999

These Regulations amend the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987 (SI 1987/1967) and the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/207).

In particular, regulation 2 of these Regulations provides that where a claimant's applicable amount includes an amount in respect of his housing costs for a loan which exceeds the appropriate amount, periods of entitlement to income support or jobseeker's allowance will only link for the purpose of determining continuous entitlement to those benefits prior to payment of housing costs or where the previous benefit claim ceased because the claimant or his partner was a welfare to work beneficiary.

These Regulations do not impose a charge on business.