The Social Security (Welfare to Work) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Amendment of the Social Security (Incapacity for Work) (General) Regulations

4.—(1) The Social Security (Incapacity for Work) (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995(1) shall be amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) After regulation 13 (person receiving certain regular treatment) there shall be inserted the following regulation—

“Welfare to work beneficiary

13A.— (1) Subject to paragraph (3), a person is a “welfare to work beneficiary” on any day in a linking term, where he—

(a) was incapable of work for a period of incapacity for work of more than 196 days in his immediate past period of incapacity for work;

(b) ceased to be entitled to benefit at the end of that immediate past period of incapacity for work on a day which falls on or after 5th October 1998;

(c) became engaged in remunerative work within one week of so ceasing to be entitled to that benefit at the end of that immediate past period of incapacity for work; and

(d) either—

(i) gave notice to the Department, within a period of one month after so ceasing to be entitled to that benefit, that he had been engaged in renumerative work within one week from the end of that past period of incapacity for work, or

(ii) had successfully appealed against an assessment made in respect of the all work test or a determination in respect of the own occupation test in relation to his immediate past period of incapacity for work, which period, had that assessment or determination not been made, would have consisted of a period of incapacity for work of more than 196 days.

(2) A welfare to work beneficiary shall be treated as incapable of work on any day in a period, consisting of a cumulative number of days of incapacity for work not exceeding 91 days in total, beginning within the linking term and ending on a day not later than 13 weeks from the end of that linking term, where he—

(a) claims benefit for any day falling within that linking term;

(b) submits evidence in accordance with regulation 2 of the Medical Evidence Regulations(2); and

(c) in his immediate past period of incapacity for work—

(i) had been assessed and satisfied the all work test in accordance with Part III, or

(ii) had been treated under regulation 10(3) as incapable of work.

(3) A person is not a welfare to work beneficiary under paragraph (1) if—

(a) his immediate past period of incapacity for work was ended by a determination (other than a determination in the circumstances applicable to a person under paragraph (1)) that he was, or was treated as, capable of work; or

(b) his immediate past period of incapacity for work ended within a period of less than 28 weeks from the end of his last linking term.

(4) For the purposes of this regulation—

“benefit” means any benefit, allowance or advantage under the Contributions and Benefits Act (other than statutory sick pay), or under the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, for which entitlement is dependent on incapacity for work;

“linking term” means a period of 52 weeks (whether or not broken by days of incapacity for work) fixed on the first day immediately following the last day of incapacity in a period of incapacity for work;

“immediate past period of incapacity for work” means a period of incapacity for work under section 30C(1);

“remunerative work” means—

(a)

work (other than exempt work under regulation 17) for which payment is made or which is done in expectation of payment; or

(b)

attendance on a training course in respect of which the person receives a training allowance in pursuance of arrangements made under section 1(1) of the Employment and Training Act (Northern Ireland) 1950(4).”.

(3) In regulation 17(2)(b)(5) (exempt work) the words “or (b)” shall be omitted.

(1)

S.R. 1995 No. 41; relevant amending regulations are S.R. 1995 No. 149, S.R. 1996 No. 601, S.R. 1997 No. 174 and S.R. 1998 No. 54

(2)

Regulation 2 was amended by regulation 2(1) of S.R. 1982 No. 153, regulation 2(3) of S.R. 1987 No. 117, regulation 2(2) of S.R. 1992 No. 83, regulation 2(3) of S.R. 1994 No. 468 and regulation 2(2) of S.R. 1995 No. 149

(3)

Regulation 10 was amended by regulation 4(3) of S.R. 1995 No. 149, regulation 4(3) of S.R. 1996 No. 601 and regulation 3 of S.R. 1997 No. 174

(4)

1950 c. 29 (N.I.); section 1(1) was substituted by Article 3 of the Employment and Training (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 (S.I. 1988/1087 (N.I. 10))

(5)

Regulation 17 was amended by regulation 2 of S.R. 1998 No. 54