The Social Security (Habitual Residence and Past Presence, and Capital Disregards) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023 - screening

Urgent legislation is required to ensure that certain cohorts of people coming here from Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights or Lebanon as a result of the Hamas attack in Israel on 7 October 2023 or the violence which rapidly escalated in the region following the attack, are exempt from the habitual residence test (HRT) and the past presence test (PPT) to facilitate entitlement to social security benefits on their arrival. The legislation will also disregard Victims of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme payments, including to family members of those killed, in the calculation of income-related benefits.