The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2000 No. 37

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

Made

29th February 2000

Coming into operation

3rd April 2000

The Department for Social Development, in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 10(1)(a) and 36(2) of the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995(1) and now vested in it(2), and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 and shall come into operation on 3rd April 2000.

Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations

2.—(1) The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996(3) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (5).

(2) In regulation 4 (interpretation of Parts II, IV and V), in the definition of “employment officer” for “11 and 12 of the Order” there shall be substituted “10 or 11 and 12 of the Order, as the case may be;”.

(3) In regulation 23 (attendance), for “the Department” there shall be substituted “an employment officer”.

(4) In regulation 24—

(a) in paragraph (6)(a)(4), (b) and (c)(5) after “Department” there shall be added “or an employment officer, as the case may be”;

(b) in paragraph (7) after “Department”, in the first place where that word occurs, there shall be inserted “or an employment officer, as the case may be”;

(c) in paragraph (10) after “Department” there shall be inserted “or an employment officer, as the case may be,”.

(5) In regulation 25(1)(b)(i)(6) (entitlement ceasing on failure to comply), for “the Department” there shall be substituted “an employment officer”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 29th February 2000.

L.S.

John O'Neill

Senior Officer of the

Department for Social Development

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations amend the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 (“the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations”).

They amend the definition of “employment officer” to include a person who is an employment officer for the purposes of Article 10 of the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (regulation 2(2)).

They substitute references to “the Department” with references to “an employment officer” and so provide that—

(a) a claimant shall attend at such time and place as an employment officer may specify (regulation 2(3) and (4)(c));

(b) a claimant can notify the Department or an employment officer of matters concerning his availablity for employment, actively seeking employment and changes in his circumstances (regulation 2(4)(a) and (b));

(c) where a claimant who is required to attend at a time and place specified in a notice under regulation 23 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations attends on the right day but at the wrong time, his entitlement will cease if, having then received a written warning from an employment officer, he attends at the wrong time again on the next due date (regulation 2(5)).

The Regulations are consequential upon Article 67 of, and paragraph 27(3) of Schedule 8 to, the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/3147 (N.I. 11)) which came into operation on 1st December 1999. The Regulations are made before the end of a period of 6 months from the commencement of the said provision and they are, by virtue of section 150(5)(a) of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8), exempt from reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee.

(1)

S.I. 1995/2705 (N.I. 15); Article 10 is amended by paragraph 27(3) of Schedule 8 to the Welfare Reform and Pensions (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/3147 (N.I. 11))

(2)

See Article 8(b) of, and Part II of Schedule 6 to, the Departments (Transfer and Assignment of Functions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999 (S.R. 1999 No. 481)

(3)

S.R. 1996 No. 198; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1996 No. 358 and S.R. 1999 No. 145

(4)

Paragraph (a) was substituted by regulation 8(2) of S.R. 1996 No. 358

(5)

Paragraph (c) was amended by regulation 8(3) of S.R. 1996 No. 358

(6)

Head (i) was substituted by regulation 2(b) of S.R. 1999 No. 145