The Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) Amendment Regulations 2003

Statutory Instruments

2003 No.400

SOCIAL SECURITY

The Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) Amendment Regulations 2003

Made

26th February 2003

Laid before Parliament

4th March 2003

Coming into force

7th April 2003

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by sections 2A(1), (6)(a), 189(1), (4) to (6) and (7A) and 191 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992(1) and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf, and after agreement by the Social Security Advisory Committee that proposals in respect of these Regulations should not be referred to it(2), hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) Amendment Regulations 2003 and shall come into force on 7^th April 2003.

(2) In these Regulations “the Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents Regulations” means the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2000(3).

Amendment of the Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents Regulations

2.—(1) The Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents Regulations shall be amended in accordance with this Regulation.

(2) For sub-paragraph (g) of regulation 1(3) (commencement) there shall be substituted the following sub-paragraph—

“(g) subject to the preceding sub-paragraphs, where a lone parent—

(i) on 7^th April 2003 is entitled to income support;

(ii) is responsible for and living in the same household as a child who reaches the age of 5 years and 3 months after 7^th April 2003; and

(iii) is not on the date that child reaches that age responsible for and living in the same household as a younger child,

come into force in respect of that lone parent on the date that child reaches the age of 5 years and 3 months.”.

(3) In regulation 4 (circumstances where requirement to take part in an interview does not apply) paragraph (a) shall be omitted.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Nick Brown

Minister of State,

Department for Work and Pensions

26th February 2003

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Social Security (Work-focused Interviews for Lone Parents) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/1926) (the Principal Regulations).

Regulation 2(2) of these Regulations amends regulation 1(3)(g) of the Principal Regulations to provide that lone parents who are entitled to income support on 7^th April 2003 and whose youngest child reaches the age of 5 years and 3 months after 7^th April 2003 shall be required to take part in a work-focused interview from the date that child reaches that age.

Regulation 2(3) of these Regulations amends regulation 4 of the Principal Regulations to extend the requirement for lone parents to participate in work-focused interviews to lone parents who make a claim for income support on or after 7^th April 2003, regardless of the age of their youngest child.

These Regulations do not impose a charge on business.

(1)

1992 c. 5; section 2A was inserted by the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 (c. 30), section 57; section 191 is an interpretation provision and is cited because of the meaning there given to the word “prescribe”.

(2)

See section 173(1)(b) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992.

(3)

S.I. 2000/1926 as amended by S.I. 2001/1189, 3210, 2002/670 and 1703.