Part I The Jobseeker’s Allowance
F1 “Work for your benefit” schemes etc.
17ASchemes for assisting persons to obtain employment: “work for your benefit” schemes etc.
1
Regulations may make provision for or in connection with imposing on claimants in prescribed circumstances a requirement to participate in schemes of any prescribed description that are designed to assist them to obtain employment.
2
Regulations under this section may, in particular, require participants to undertake work, or work-related activity, during any prescribed period with a view to improving their prospects of obtaining employment.
3
In subsection (2) “work-related activity”, in relation to any person, means activity which makes it more likely that the person will obtain or remain in work or be able to do so.
4
Regulations under this section may not require a person to participate in a scheme unless the person would (apart from the regulations) be required to meet the jobseeking conditions.
5
Regulations under this section may, in particular, make provision—
a
for notifying participants of the requirement to participate in a scheme within subsection (1);
b
for securing that participants are not required to meet the jobseeking conditions or are not required to meet such of those conditions as are specified in the regulations;
c
for suspending any jobseeker's agreement to which a person is a party for any period during which the person is a participant;
d
for securing that the appropriate consequence follows if a participant has failed to comply with the regulations and it is not shown, within a prescribed period, that the participant had good cause for the failure;
e
prescribing matters which are, or are not, to be taken into account in determining whether a participant has good cause for any failure to comply with the regulations;
f
prescribing circumstances in which a participant is, or is not, to be regarded as having good cause for any failure to comply with the regulations.
6
In the case of a jobseeker's allowance other than a joint-claim jobseeker's allowance, the appropriate consequence for the purposes of subsection (5)(d) is that the allowance is not payable for such period (of at least one week but not more than 26 weeks) as may be prescribed.
7
In the case of a joint-claim jobseeker's allowance, the appropriate consequence for the purposes of subsection (5)(d) is that the participant is to be treated as subject to sanctions for the purposes of section 20A for such period (of at least one week but not more than 26 weeks) as may be prescribed.
8
Regulations under this section may make provision for an income-based jobseeker's allowance to be payable in prescribed circumstances even though other provision made by the regulations would prevent payment of it.
This subsection does not apply in the case of a joint-claim jobseeker's allowance (corresponding provision for which is made by section 20B(4)).
9
The provision that may be made by the regulations by virtue of subsection (8) includes, in particular, provision for the allowance to be—
a
payable only if prescribed requirements as to the provision of information are complied with;
b
payable at a prescribed rate;
c
payable for a prescribed period (which may differ from any period mentioned in subsection (6)).
10
In this section—
“claimant”, in relation to a joint-claim couple claiming a joint-claim jobseeker's allowance, means either or both of the members of the couple;
“the jobseeking conditions” means the conditions set out in section 1(2)(a) to (c);
“participant”, in relation to any time, means any person who is required at that time to participate in a scheme within subsection (1).
Ss. 17A, 17B, and preceding cross-heading inserted (12.11.2009) by Welfare Reform Act 2009 (c. 24), ss. 1(2), 61(1)