The Social Security (Literacy etc. Skills Training Pilot) Regulations 2001

Citation, commencement and duration

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Literacy etc. Skills Training Pilot) Regulations 2001 and shall come into force on 17th September 2001.

(2) These Regulations shall cease to have effect on 16th September 2002 unless revoked with effect from an earlier date.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations—

“appropriate office” means an office, by whatever name it is from time to time known, of the Department for Work and Pensions which is identified by reference to its name as at the date these Regulations come into force in the Schedule to these Regulations and, where such an office closes, the references in the Schedule to that office shall be construed as a reference to the office which a person is required to attend instead of that office;

“benefit” means a jobseeker’s allowance or any earnings credited to a person in accordance with regulation 8A of the Social Security (Credits) Regulations 1975(1);

“literacy and numeracy skills training” means a scheme provided in pursuance of arrangements made by the Secretary of State under section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 1973(2) for the attainment of appropriate literacy skills, language skills or numeracy skills (whether all or any of them) and which, in respect of any individual, is intended to last for a period not exceeding 12 months.

(2) For the purpose of calculating the period of not less than 6 months referred to in regulation 3(2)(c) of these Regulations, a period of interruption to the receipt of benefit not exceeding 28 days, or any periods of such interruption which added together do not exceed a total of 28 days, shall be disregarded.

(3) In respect of any period throughout which a member of a joint-claim couple is receiving a joint-claim jobseeker’s allowance, the other member of that couple shall, for the purposes of regulation 3(2)(c) of these Regulations, also be treated as receiving benefit throughout that period.

Application of literacy and numeracy skills training

3.—(1) In relation to a person to whom paragraph (2) below applies, “training scheme” in sections 19 and 20A of the Jobseekers Act 1995(3) means, in addition to the training schemes listed in regulation 75 of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996(4), literacy and numeracy skills training.

(2) This paragraph shall apply to any person—

(a) who, between 17th September 2001 and 16th March 2002, attends an appropriate office pursuant to a notification given or sent under regulation 23 or 23A of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996(5); and

(b) who, on the day he so attends, is aged no less than 25 but no more than 49; and

(c) who has been receiving benefit for a period of not less than 6 months; and

(d) in respect of whom the Secretary of State considers it appropriate that he should participate in literacy and numeracy skills training; and

(e) who has been given or sent a notice in writing by an employment officer advising him that if he fails to participate in such training, his jobseeker’s allowance could cease to be payable or could be payable at a lower rate.

Signed on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Malcolm Wicks

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,

Department for Work and Pensions

24th July 2001