The Income Support (Work-Related Activity) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017

Reduction of income support

8.—(1) Where the Department has determined that a person who was required to undertake work-related activity has failed to do so and has not shown good cause for that failure in accordance with regulation 6 (failure to undertake work-related activity), the amount of income support payable to the person is to be reduced in accordance with paragraph (2).

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), the amount of the reduction of income support in relation to each failure is 20 per cent. of the amount applicable in respect of a single claimant for income support aged not less than 25 as prescribed in paragraph 1(1)(e) of Schedule 2 to the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987.

(3) In any benefit week, the amount of income support payable to a person is not, by virtue of paragraph (1), to be reduced below 10 pence.

(4) The amount of income support payable to a person is not to be reduced in accordance with paragraph (1) if that amount—

(a) is, at the time a determination falls to be made in respect of the current failure, being paid at a reduced rate in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), regulations 7(3) and 8 of the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001(1) or regulation 11(2)(c) of the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(2); and

(b) was last reduced not more than 2 weeks before the date of the current failure.

(5) In this regulation—

“current failure” means a failure which, in relation to a person, may lead to a reduction in income support under paragraph (1) in relation to which the Department has not yet determined whether the amount of income support payable to the person is to be reduced in accordance with this regulation.

(1)

S.R. 2001 No. 152; regulation 7(3) was substituted by regulation 2(9)(b) of S.R. 2011 No. 368 and regulation 8 was amended by regulation 3(4) of S.R. 2011 No. 26, regulation 13(3) and Schedule 1 to S.R. 2011 No.357 and regulation 2(10) of S.R. 2011 No. 368.

(2)

S.R. 2003 No. 274; regulation 11(2)(c) was amended by regulation 2(8)(b) of S.R. 2005 No. 443, regulation 15(3)(a) of S.R. 2011 No. 357 and regulation 3(10) of S.R. 2011 No. 368.