The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2000

Statutory Instruments

2000 No. 1370

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2000

Made

17th May 2000

Laid before Parliament

22nd May 2000

Coming into force

19th June 2000

The Secretary of State for Education and Employment, in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 19(2), 19(10)(c) and 35(1) of the Jobseekers Act 1995(1), and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of these Regulations need not be referred to it(2), hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Jobseeker’s Allowance (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2000 and shall come into force on 19th June 2000.

Amendment of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations

2.—(1) The Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996(3) shall be amended in accordance with the following paragraphs of this regulation.

(2) In regulation 69(1)(b)(4) (prescribed period for purposes of section 19(2)) after the words “in any case” there shall be inserted the words “(other than a case where a jobseeker’s allowance is determined not to be payable in circumstances relating to the employment programme known as “Gateway to Work” specified in regulation 75(1)(a)(i)(bb)) ”.

(3) In regulation 69(1)(c) after the words “in any case” there shall be inserted the words “(other than a case where a jobseeker’s allowance is determined not to be payable in circumstances relating to the employment programme known as “Gateway to Work” specified in regulation 75(1)(a)(i)(bb)) ”.

(4) After regulation 75(1)(a)(i)(aa)(5) (interpretation of section 19 of the Jobseekers Act and Part V of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations) there shall be inserted the following—

“(bb) Gateway to Work, being a programme of up to two weeks' duration, consisting of advice and assistance on job search activity and the development of job search skills;”.

Tessa Jowell

Minister of State,

Department for Education and Employment

17th May 2000

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/207) (“the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations”).

In particular, they prescribe the “Gateway to Work” course as an employment programme for the purposes of the Jobseekers Act 1995 and the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations. The effect of this is that if a person, without good cause, refuses or fails to participate in that programme, or loses his place on it through misconduct, his jobseeker’s allowance will not be payable for a prescribed period. These Regulations set that period at two weeks, regardless of whether the person has already been sanctioned in the past year or not.

(1)

1995 c. 18; section 35(1) is an interpretation provision and is cited because of the meaning ascribed to the words “prescribed” and “ regulations”.

(2)

See sections 170 and 173(1)(b) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c. 5); paragraph 67 of Schedule 2 to the Jobseekers Act 1995 added that Act to the list of “relevant enactments” in respect of which regulations must normally be referred to the Committee.

(3)

S.I. 1996/207.

(4)

Regulation 69 was substituted by S.I. 2000/239.

(5)

Regulation 75 was substituted by S.I. 1997/2863 and amended by S.I. 1998/1174, 1998/1274, 1998/1698 and 2000/721.