Clause 3. Determining whether an Advance would Best Meet the Immediate Needs of the Beneficiary

3

Determining whether an Advance would Best Meet the Immediate Needs of the Beneficiary

In determining if an Advance would best meet the Immediate Needs of a Beneficiary, you are to have regard to:

(a)

the assistance that is or might be available to the Beneficiary from other sources or under the Act to meet the Beneficiary's Particular Immediate Need:

(b)

the Beneficiary's existing level of debt, and whether the rate of repayment of the proposed Advance (as set out in clause 5) from subsequent instalments of the Benefit would be sustainable, having regard to-

(i)

whether the reduction of the amount of Benefit payable to the Beneficiary will leave enough for the Beneficiary's living expenses and any other debt repayments; and

(ii)

the likelihood it would cause the Beneficiary to seek further Advances or other supplementary assistance under the Act:

(c)

whether the Beneficiary is likely to continue to be in receipt of the Benefit for the period over which the Advance would be repayable:

(d)

any other matters put forward by the Beneficiary to justify the Advance.