The Jobseeker's Allowance (Schemes for Assisting Persons to Obtain Employment) Regulations 2013

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations make provision for schemes under section 17A of the Jobseekers Act 1995 (“the Jobseekers Act”) which are designed to assist claimants to obtain employment, including self-employment, and which may include, for any individual, work-related activity, such as work experience or work search.

Regulation 3 prescribes various schemes for the purposes of section 17A of the Jobseekers Act 1995.

Regulation 4 enables the Secretary of State to select a claimant to participate in a scheme described in regulation 3 and the scheme the claimant is selected to participate in is referred to in the Regulations as “the Scheme”.

Regulation 5 requires a person so selected to participate in the Scheme upon being notified by the Secretary of State from the date specified in the notice. It also sets out the content of the notice.

Regulation 6 sets out the circumstances in which a requirement to participate in the Scheme is suspended and circumstances in which a claimant is not required (or no longer required) to participate in the Scheme. These are where a participant's award of jobseeker's allowance terminates or where the Secretary of State gives the participant notice in writing that his or her participation is no longer required.

Regulation 7 sets out circumstances in which a claimant participating in the Scheme is not required to meet the jobseeking conditions.

Part 2 makes various consequential amendments to other Regulations in relation to a person's participation in a scheme prescribed in regulation 3.

Regulation 8 amends the definition of “self-employment route” in the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 1996, the Housing Renewal Grants Regulations 1996, the Council Tax Benefit Regulations 2006 and the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 so that the definition includes a scheme prescribed in regulation 3.

Regulations 9 and 10 ensure that persons will not be treated as having notional income or notional capital by virtue of their participation in a Scheme prescribed in regulation 3, and regulations 11 and 12 provide that travel and other expenses paid to participants are disregarded as income and capital for the purposes of certain income-related benefits.

Regulation 13 makes consequential amendments to the Income Support (General) Regulations 1987, regulation 14 makes further consequential amendments to the Jobseeker's Allowance Regulations 1996, regulation 15 makes consequential amendments to the Employment and Support Allowance Regulations 2008 and regulation 16 makes consequential amendments to the Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Default Scheme) (England) Regulations 2012.

Regulation 17 makes provision for contracting out functions of the Secretary of State under the Regulations.

An impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on businesses and civil society organisations. The instrument has no impact on the public sector.