2012 No. 284

Social Security

The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Members of the Reserve Forces) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012
Approved by resolution of the Assembly on 3rd December 2012
Made
9th July 2012
Coming into operation
30th July 2012
The Department for Social Development makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 8(4), 9(4), 10(2)(d), 14(1) to (3) and (4)(b) and 36(2) of the Jobseekers (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 , and now vested in it .

Citation and commencement
1
These Regulations may be cited as the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Members of the Reserve Forces) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 and shall come into operation on 30th July 2012.

Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations
2
1
The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996 are amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (8).
2
In regulation 1(2) (citation, commencement and interpretation) after the definition of “concessionary payment” insert—
- “the Contributions Regulations” means the Social Security (Contributions) Regulations 2001 ;
.
3
In regulation 14(1) (circumstances in which a person is to be treated as available) after sub-paragraph (t) add—
u
if he is engaged in annual continuous training as a member of any territorial or reserve force prescribed in Part 1 of Schedule 6 to the Contributions Regulations, for a maximum of 15 days in any calendar year.
.
4
In regulation 19(1) (circumstances in which a person is to be treated as actively seeking employment) after sub-paragraph (w) add—
x
in any week during which he is engaged for not less than 3 days in annual continuous training as a member of any territorial or reserve force prescribed in Part 1 of Schedule 6 to the Contributions Regulations, for a maximum of 15 days in any calendar year.
.
5
In regulation 30(c) (circumstances in which a claimant is to be regarded as having good cause for failing to comply with a notification under regulation 23) for “(q) to (t)” substitute “(q) to (u)”.
6
In regulation 94 (calculation of earnings derived from employed earner’s employment and income other than earnings) after paragraph (2A) insert—
2B
Earnings derived by a claimant as a member of any territorial or reserve force prescribed in Part 1 of Schedule 6 to the Contributions Regulations in respect of a period of annual continuous training for a maximum of 15 days in any calendar year, whether paid to the claimant alone or together with other earnings derived from the same source, are to be taken into account—
a
in the case of a period of training exceeding 14 days, over a period of 14 days, or which is equal to the duration of the training period, or
b
in any other case, over a period which is equal to the duration of the training period.
2C
The period referred to in paragraph (2B) over which earnings are to be taken into account shall begin on the date on which they are treated as paid under regulation 96.
.
7
In Schedule 5 (sums to be disregarded in the calculation of earnings) for paragraph 19 substitute—
19
1
In the case of a contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance, where by reason of earnings to which sub-paragraph (3) applies (in aggregate with the claimant’s other earnings (if any) calculated in accordance with this Part) the claimant would (apart from this paragraph) have a personal rate of less than 10 pence, the amount of such earnings but only to the extent that that amount exceeds the claimant’s personal rate less 10 pence.
2
In the case of an income-based jobseeker’s allowance, where earnings to which sub-paragraph (3) applies (in aggregate with the claimant’s other income (if any) calculated in accordance with this Part) exceed the applicable amount less 10 pence, the amount of those earnings corresponding to that excess.
3
This sub-paragraph applies to earnings, in so far as they exceed the amount disregarded under paragraph 9, derived by the claimant from employment as a member of any territorial or reserve force prescribed in Part 1 of Schedule 6 to the Contributions Regulations in respect of a period of annual continuous training for a maximum of 15 days in any calendar year.
4
In sub-paragraph (1), “personal rate” means the rate for the claimant calculated as specified in Article 6(1) of the Order.
.
8
In Schedule 5A (sums to be disregarded in the calculation of earnings of members of joint-claim couples) omit paragraph 5.
Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department for Social Development on 9th July 2012
(L.S.)
Heather Cousins
A 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 (“the 1996 Regulations”) in relation to a member of the Territorial Army or another reserve force who is in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance.
The amendments made by regulation 2(3) and (4) provide that, during the period of annual continuous training which reserve force members are required to undertake for up to 15 days in any calendar year, such persons will be treated as available for, and actively seeking, employment (which are two of the basic conditions for entitlement to jobseeker’s allowance).
The amendment made by regulation 2(6) provides that earnings derived from participation as a member of the reserve forces in annual continuous training, whether paid alone or together with other earnings derived from the same source, are to be taken into account for a period of the same duration as the training undertaken, except where the training exceeds 14 days, in which case they must be taken into account over a period of 14 days. The period over which the earnings are to be taken into account begins on the date on which the earnings are treated as having been paid in accordance with regulation 96 of the 1996 Regulations.
The amendment made by regulation 2(7) provides that earnings derived from participation in annual continuous training will be disregarded to the extent that they would have the effect (when aggregated with any other income) of reducing claimant’s entitlement to jobseeker’s allowance to less than 10 pence per week. This ensures that reserve force members in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance can retain a minimum entitlement to that benefit in the week in which they are paid for their participation in annual training.
Regulation 2(2), (5) and (8) makes consequential amendments to other provisions of the 1996 Regulations.
These Regulations make in relation to Northern Ireland only provision corresponding to provision contained in Regulations made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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.
S.I. 1995/2705 (N.I. 15); Article 36(2) was amended by paragraph 55 of Schedule 3 to, the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/671)
See Article 8(b) of S.R. 1999 No. 481
S.R. 1996 No. 198; relevant amending Regulations are S.R. 1996 No. 503, S.R. 1997 No. 22, S.R. 1998 No. 81, S.R. 1999 No. 107, S.R. 2000 No. 350, S.R. 2006 No. 234, S.R. 2008 No. 478 and S.R. 2012 No. 155
Regulation 1(2) has amendments not relevant to these Regulations
S.I. 2001/1004
Sub-paragraph (t) was added by regulation 11(5)(a) of S.R. 2008 No. 478
Sub-paragraph (w) was added by regulation 2(3) of S.R. 2012 No. 155
Regulation 30(c) was amended by regulation 2(4) of S.R. 1999 No. 107, regulation 3(5)(b) of S.R. 2006 No. 234 and regulation 11(8)(b) of S.R. 2008 No. 478
Paragraph (2A) was inserted by regulation 5(2)(b) of S.R. 1997 No. 22 and amended by regulation 8 of S.R. 1998 No. 81
Paragraph 19 was substituted by regulation 2(20) of S.R. 1996 No. 503
Schedule 5A was inserted by paragraph 58 of Schedule 2 to S.R. 2000 No. 350