The Social Security (Back to Work Bonus) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Back to Work Bonus) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 and shall come into operation on 7th October 1996.

(2) In these Regulations—

“the Order” means the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995;

“the Income Support Regulations” means the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987(1);

“applicant” means the person claiming the bonus;

“bonus” means a back to work bonus;

“bonus period” means a period beginning with and including the first day of entitlement to a qualifying benefit in a period of entitlement to a qualifying benefit which falls after the waiting period and ends of the last day of that period of entitlement;

“claim” means a claim made in accordance with regulation 23;

“couple” means a married or an unmarried couple;

“earnings” means any earnings which are paid within the bonus period and which—

(a)

where the qualifying benefit is income support, are net earnings or net profit within the meaning of regulation 2 of the Income Support Regulations (interpretation) or are treated as earnings in accordance with regulation 42(5) or (6) of those Regulations(2) (notional income), or

(b)

where the qualifying benefit is a jobseeker’s allowance, are earnings for the purposes of the Order by virtue of Article 2(4) of the Order, or are treated as earnings in accordance with regulations made under Article 14(4)(a) of the Order (income and capital);

“employment” includes any trade, business, profession, office or vocation;

“partner” means where the person—

(a)

is a member of a married or unmarried couple, the other member of that couple;

(b)

is married polygamously to 2 or more members of his household, any such member;

“pensionable age” has the meaning it has in section 121(1) of the Benefits Act;

“period of entitlement to a qualifying benefit” shall be construed in accordance with regulations 2 and 3;

“training” means training for which a training allowance is payable;

“training allowance” means an allowance (whether by way of periodical grants or otherwise) payable—

(a)

out of public funds by a government department or by or on behalf of the Department of Economic Development;

(b)

to a person for his maintenance or in respect of a member of his family, and

(c)

for the period, or part of the period, during which he is following a course of training or instruction provided by, or in pursuance of arrangements made with, a government department or approved by such department in relation to him or so provided or approved by or on behalf of the Department of Economic Development,

but it does not include an allowance paid by any government department to, or in respect of, a person by reason of the fact that he is following a course of full-time education, other than under provision or arrangements under sections 2 and 3 of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act (Northern Ireland) 1945(3) or in accordance with arrangements made under section 1(1) of the Employment and Training Act (Northern Ireland) 1950(4), or is training as a teacher;

“waiting period” means the period of 91 consecutive days to which regulation 6 refers;

“week” means a period of 7 days;

“work condition” has the meaning it has in regulation 7(2)(b).

(3) For the purposes of these Regulations the “qualifying benefits” are a jobseeker’s allowance and income support.

(2)

Relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1988 No. 146 and S.R. 1995 No. 86

(3)

1945 c. 6 (N.I.); sections 2 and 3 were amended by section 1 of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act (Northern Ireland) 1960 (c. 4 (N.I.)) and Schedule 18 to the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 (S.I. 1986/594 (N.I. 3))

(4)

1950 c. 29 (N.I.); section 1 was amended by Article 3 of the Employment and Training (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 (S.I. 1988/1087 (N.I. 10))