The Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015

Work-related requirements: supplementary

Connected requirements

28.—(1) The Department may require a claimant to participate in an interview for any purpose relating to—

(a) the imposition of a work-related requirement on the claimant;

(b) verifying the claimant’s compliance with a work-related requirement;

(c) assisting the claimant to comply with a work-related requirement.

(2) The Department may specify how, when and where such an interview is to take place.

(3) The Department may, for the purpose of verifying the claimant’s compliance with a work-related requirement, require a claimant to—

(a) provide to the Department information and evidence specified by the Department in a manner so specified;

(b) confirm compliance in a manner so specified.

(4) The Department may require a claimant to report to the Department any specified changes in the claimant’s circumstances which are relevant to—

(a) the imposition of work-related requirements on the claimant;

(b) the claimant’s compliance with a work-related requirement.

Imposition of requirements

29.—(1) Regulations may make provision—

(a) where the Department may impose a requirement under this Part, as to when the requirement must or must not be imposed;

(b) where the Department may specify any action to be taken in relation to a requirement under this Part, as to what action must or must not be specified;

(c) where the Department may specify any other matter in relation to a requirement under this Part, as to what must or must not be specified in respect of that matter.

(2) Where the Department may impose a work-focused interview requirement, the Department must have regard to such matters as may be prescribed.

(3) Where the Department may specify a particular action under Article 21(1) or 22(1)(b), the Department must have regard to such matters as may be prescribed.

(4) Where the Department may impose a requirement under this Part, the Department may revoke or change what has been imposed or specified.

(5) Where the Department may specify any action to be taken in relation to a requirement imposed under this Part, the Department may revoke or change what has been specified.

(6) Notification of a requirement imposed under this Part (or any change to or revocation of such a requirement) is, if not included in the claimant commitment, to be in such manner as the Department may determine.

(7) Regulations must make provision to secure that, in prescribed circumstances, where a claimant has recently been a victim of domestic violence—

(a) a requirement imposed on that claimant under this Part ceases to have effect for a period of 13 weeks, and

(b) the Department may not impose any other requirement under this Part on that claimant during that period.

(8) For the purposes of paragraph (7)—

(a) “domestic violence” has such meaning as may be prescribed;

(b) “victim of domestic violence” means a person on or against whom domestic violence is inflicted or threatened (and regulations under paragraph (7) may prescribe circumstances in which a person is to be treated as being or not being a victim of domestic violence);

(c) a person has recently been a victim of domestic violence if a prescribed period has not expired since the violence was inflicted or threatened.

Compliance with requirements

30.  Regulations may make provision as to circumstances in which a claimant is to be treated as having—

(a) complied with or not complied with any requirement imposed under this Part or any aspect of such a requirement, or

(b) taken or not taken any particular action specified by the Department in relation to such a requirement.