Subsection 1 amends section 123 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c.7) to ensure that lone parents with a child under seven are a prescribed category of person entitled to income support.
Subsection 2 amends section 2A of the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 to ensure that lone parents on income support with a child under one will not be required to take part in a work-focused interview.
Subsections 3 to 5 amend sections 12, 13 and 24 of the Welfare Reform Act (Northern Ireland) 2007 (c.2), to ensure that lone parents on employment and support allowance with a child under one will not be required to take part in a work-focused interview and with a child under three will not be required to undertake work-related activity. A regulation-making power provides that lone parents on employment and support allowance will be entitled to restrict the times when they are required to undertake work-related activity.