The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Amendment No. 4) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland

2000 No. 255

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Amendment No. 4) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

Made

15th August 2000

Coming into operation

11th September 2000

The Department for Social Development, in exercise of the powers conferred by Article 10(1) and (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. 4) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 and shall come into operation on 11th September 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) For regulation 23(4) (attendance) there shall be substituted the following regulation—

“23.   A claimant shall attend at such place and at such time as an employment officer may specify by a notification which is given or sent to the claimant and which may be in writing, by telephone or by electronic means.”.

(3) In regulation 24(8) and (10)(5) (provision of information and evidence) for “notice” there shall be substituted “notification”.

(4) In regulation 25(6) (entitlement ceasing on a failure to comply) for “notice”, in each place where it occurs, there shall be substituted “notification”.

(5) In each of regulations 26(7), 27(1), 28(1) and 30(8) for “notice” there shall be substituted “notification”.

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 15th August 2000.

L.S.

Bryan Davis

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.

In particular, they remove the requirement that an employment officer must specify in writing the place and time at which a claimant of a jobseeker’s allowance may be required to attend. The regulations provide that a claimant may be summoned by telephone or by electronic means, as well as by a written summons.

These Regulations make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in Regulations made by the Secretary of State for Social Security in relation to Great Britain and accordingly, by virtue of section 149(3) of, and paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to, the Social Security Administration (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 (c. 8), are not subject to the requirement of section 149(2) of that Act for prior 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 Werlfare 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, S.R. 1999 Nos. 107 and 145 and S.R. 2000 No. 37

(4)

Regulation 23 was amended by regulation 2(3) of S.R. 2000 No. 37

(5)

Paragraph 10 was amended by regulation 2(4)(c) of S.R. 2000 No. 37

(6)

Regulation 25 was amended by S.R. 1999 No. 145 and S.R. 2000 No. 37

(7)

Regulation 26 was amended by regulation 9 of S.R. 1996 No. 358

(8)

Regulation 30 was amended by regulation 2(4) of S.R. 1999 No. 107