The Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Claims and Payments) (Amendment and Modification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025.

The Department for Communities has made a Statutory Rule entitled “the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Claims and Payments) (Amendment and Modification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025” (S.R. 2025 No. 73), which will come into operation on 30th April 2025.

The Rule makes amendments and modifications to Schedule 5 (deductions from benefits and direct payment to third parties), to the Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance (Claims and Payments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 (S.R 2016 No. 220) (“the 2016 Regulations”).

The 2016 Regulations contain a priority order (referred to in regulations as, “priority as between certain debts”) which determines the order in which certain third-party debts and certain benefit debts are taken from a claimant’s Universal Credit award.

This Rule amends the existing priority order to move fines in the regulated priority order and also temporarily modifies the regulated priority order to move the child support maintenance deductions to first place.

Copies of the Rule may be purchased from the Stationery Office at www.tsoshop.co.uk or by contacting TSO Customer Services on 0333 202 5070 or viewed online at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr.