Citation and commencement

1. This Order may be cited as the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Amendment) Order 2013 and comes into force on 1st September 2013.

Amendment of the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Order 1997

2. —(1)The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Order 1997( 2 ) is amended as follows.

(2) In article 2(1) (interpretation)( 3 ) omit the definition of “applicable consumer prices index”.

(3) In article 4B (broad rental market area determinations and local housing allowance determinations)( 4 )—

(a) in paragraph (2A), for “In 2012 and in each subsequent year, no more than 20 working days after the applicable consumer prices index is published,” substitute “In 2014 and in each subsequent year, on the date specified in paragraph (2B),”; and

(b) after paragraph (2A) insert—

“ (2B) The date specified for the purposes of paragraph (2A) is—

(a) 15th January where that is a Tuesday; or

(b) where 15th January is not a Tuesday, the first Tuesday following 15th January. ” .

(4) In Schedule 3B (broad rental market area determinations and local housing allowance determinations)( 5 ), in paragraph 2 (local housing allowance for category of dwelling in paragraph 1)( 6 )—

(a) for sub-paragraph (11) substitute—

“ (11) The amount to be determined by the rent officer for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1A) is the local housing allowance last determined for that category of dwelling increased by one per cent. ” ; and

(b) omit sub-paragraph (13).

Amendment to the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) (Scotland) Order 1997

3. —(1)The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) (Scotland) Order 1997( 7 ) is amended as follows.

(2) In article 2(1) (interpretation)( 8 ) omit the definition of “applicable consumer prices index”.

(3) In article 4B (broad rental market area determinations and local housing allowance determinations)( 9 )—

(a) in paragraph (2A), for “In 2012 and in each subsequent year, no more than 20 working days after the applicable consumer prices index is published,” substitute “In 2014 and in each subsequent year, on the date specified in paragraph (2B),”; and

(b) after paragraph (2A) insert—

“ (2B) The date specified for the purposes of paragraph (2A) is—

(a) 15th January where that is a Tuesday; or

(b) where 15th January is not a Tuesday, the first Tuesday following 15th January. ” .

(4) In Schedule 3B (broad rental market area determinations and local housing allowance determinations)( 10 ), in paragraph 2 (local housing allowance for category of dwelling in paragraph 1)( 11 )—

(a) for sub-paragraph (11) substitute—

“ (11) The amount to be determined by the rent officer for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1A) is the local housing allowance last determined for that category of dwelling increased by one per cent. ” ; and

(b) omit sub-paragraph (13).

Amendment to the Rent Officers (Universal Credit Functions) Order 2013

4. —(1)The Rent Officers (Universal Credit Functions) Order 2013( 12 ) is amended as follows.

(2) In article 2 (interpretation) omit the definition of “applicable consumer prices index”.

(3) In article 4 (local housing allowance determinations)—

(a) in paragraph (2), for “No more than 20 working days after the applicable consumer prices index is published,” substitute “In 2014 and in each subsequent year, on the date specified in paragraph (2A),”; and

(b) after paragraph (2) insert—

“ (2A) The date specified for the purposes of paragraph (2) is—

(a) 15th January where that is a Tuesday; or

(b) where 15th January is not a Tuesday, the first Tuesday following 15th January. ” .

(4) For paragraph 4 of Schedule 1 (amount determined by reference to the consumer prices index) and the preceding heading substitute—

“ Amount determined by reference to the previous local housing allowance

4. The amount to be determined by the rent officer for the purposes of paragraph 2(2) is the local housing allowance last determined for that category of dwelling increased by one per cent. ” .