The Social Security (Child Maintenance Bonus) Regulations 1996
The regulations in this instrument are made either by virtue of section 10 of the Child Support Act 1995 (c.34) (“the 1995 Act") or are consequential upon that section. The instrument is made before the end of the period of 6 months beginning with the coming into force of that provision; the regulations in it are therefore exempt from the requirement in section 172(1) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c.5) to refer proposals to make these Regulations to the Social Security Advisory Committee and are made without reference to that Committee.Section 10 of the 1995 Act introduces a child maintenance bonus for persons who are or have been entitled to income support or an income-based jobseeker’s allowance and who have also been in receipt of child maintenance payments.Regulation 1 contains provisions relating to citation, commencement and interpretation.Regulations 2 to 4 specify the circumstances in which the Regulations apply and the conditions for entitlement to the bonus.Regulation 5 details the method of calculating the amount of the bonus and regulation 6 enables the Secretary of State to issue estimates to claimants of their projected level of bonus.Regulations 7 to 9 contain detailed provisions as to the application of the Regulations in specific situations, namely, where the person with the care of the child dies, is at or approaching retirement or is one of a couple.Regulations 10 and 11 provide details relating to claims for the bonus and regulations 12 and 13 relate to the payment of the bonus. Regulation 14 treats the bonus as capital for certain social security benefits.Regulation 15 provides for payments made by way of bonus to be disregarded for up to 12 months in calculating capital for the purposes of disability working allowance, family credit, council tax benefit and housing benefit.Regulation 16 provides that deductions which are made from the payment of certain social security benefits are not to be made from payments by way of child maintenance bonus.These Regulations do not impose a charge on businesses.