Part IClaims for and Payments and General Administration of Benefit

Work-focused interviews and work-related activity

F12COptional work-focused interviews

(1)

Regulations may make provision for conferring on local authorities F2or, subject to subsection (3A), county councils in England functions in connection with conducting work-focused interviews in cases where such interviews are requested or consented to by persons to whom this section applies.

(2)

This section applies to F3—

(a)

persons making claims for or entitled to any of the benefits listed in section 2A(2) above or any prescribed benefit; and

(b)

partners of persons entitled to any of the benefits listed in section 2AA(2) above or any prescribed benefit;

and it so applies regardless of whether such persons have, in accordance with regulations under section 2A F4or 2AA above, already taken part in interviews conducted under such regulations.

(3)

The functions which may be conferred on a local authority F5or on a county council in England by regulations under this section include functions relating to—

(a)

the obtaining and receiving of information for the purposes of work-focused interviews conducted under the regulations;

(b)

the recording and forwarding of information supplied at, or for the purposes of, such interviews;

(c)

the taking of steps to identify potential employment or training opportunities for persons taking part in such interviews.

F6(3A)

Regulations under this section may confer functions on a county council in England only in relation to interviews with persons to whom the council is required to make support services available under section 68(1) of the Education and Skills Act 2008 (support services: provision by local authorities).

(4)

Regulations under this section may make different provision for different areas or different authorities.

(5)

In this section “work-focused interview”, in relation to a person to whom this section applies, means an interview conducted for such purposes connected with employment or training in the case of such a person as may be prescribed; and the purposes which may be so prescribed include—

(a)

purposes connected with the existing or future employment or training prospects or needs of such a person, and

(b)

(in particular) assisting or encouraging such a person to enhance his employment prospects.