This Order may be cited as the Social Security (Transfer of Staff) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, and shall come into force on 19th August 1999.

In this Order “the Department” means the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland, and “the Family Credit Branch” means the Family Credit Branch of the executive Agency known as the Social Security Agency, within the Department.

(1)    With effect from 5th October 1999, there shall be transferred to Her Majesty's Home Civil Service the persons specified in paragraph (2).

(2)    The persons specified are those persons employed wholly in the Family Credit Branch on 4th October 1999, not above the grade of principal.

(3)    In this Article, “persons employed wholly in the Family Credit Branch”—

(a)    includes those persons so employed who are on secondment, on sick leave or on maternity leave on 4th October 1999; but

(b)    excludes those persons who are listed on a Northern Ireland Civil Service promotion list but who have not been promoted by that date.

(4)    Where a person is transferred to Her Majesty's Home Civil Service under this Article, his period of employment in the Northern Ireland Civil Service shall count as a period of continuous employment in Her Majesty's Home Civil Service for the purposes of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996.

A K Galloway

Clerk of the Privy Council

This Order transfers from the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland (“the Department”) to the Inland Revenue, the staff of the Family Credit Branch of the Social Security Agency, an executive Agency of the Department. This is in consequence of the transfer under the Tax Credits Act 1999 (c 10) of functions relating to family credit and disability working allowance from the Department to the Treasury and the Inland Revenue on 5th October 1999. Family credit and disability working allowance are to become known as working families' tax credit and disabled person's tax credit respectively as from 5th October 1999.