The Education (Student Support) (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014

Explanatory note

Reproduced verbatim from the instrument as published on legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). The note is prepared by the responsible government department and is not part of the instrument itself.

These Regulations amend the Education (Student Support) (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (“the 2009 Regulations ”). The 2009 Regulations provide for financial support for students taking designated higher education courses in respect of an academic year beginning on or after 1st September 2010.

These Regulations make minor policy and technical changes to the 2009 Regulations and these changes are set out in the paragraphs below. These Regulations also, by regulation 7 and the Schedule, set out the increased payment rates for fee loans, grants for fees and fee contribution loans for full-time courses and sandwich courses which apply from 1st September 2015.

Regulations 3 and 5(a) amend regulation 43 and Schedule 5 to the 2009 Regulations respectively to substitute a new definition of “taxable income” for the purposes of those provisions. The new definition makes clear that “taxable income” means the total income on which a person is charged to income tax together with certain other payments and benefits. Regulation 5(c)(i) and (ii) make consequential amendments to paragraph 5(1) and (2) of Schedule 5 to the 2009 Regulations.

Regulation 4 amends regulation 46 of the 2009 Regulations to ensure that a student is not able to claim childcare grant where the student’s partner has elected to receive financial support for childcare under the NHS bursary scheme.

Regulation 5(b) and (c)(iii) amend Schedule 5 of the 2009 Regulations to remove obsolete references to section 273 of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 (c.1) .

Regulation 6 amends Schedule 6 of the 2009 Regulations by removing Montessori College, (A.M.I), Mount St Mary’s, Dublin and St Nicholas Montessori College, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin from the list of courses that can be designated for statutory student support.

An impact assessment has not been prepared in respect of this instrument as it has no impact on the cost of business, charities or voluntary bodies. The impact on the public sector is minimal.